Wisteria
by Queen-morganalefay
Summary: The tale of a mutant girl that's life was led in tradgedy, angst, and heartbreak, until she was discovered by the Xmen and they attempted to heal her. OC character, set in the future, no current pairings. Feed the Queen, she gets lightheaded from no revie
1. Prologue

Author's Note: This is one of the first OC characters for X-men I ever created. She's basically my brain child. There's not much to this chapter, as it's a prologue, but this whole story is going to be pretty dark and depressing, until possibly the end. So hang on, it's a rollercoaster ride for those of you who like OC stories. Also, though Wisteria belongs to me, Dani Reynolds was created by Teen-Titan-Junkie, and Jamie Summers plus Ben LeBeau was created by StarStar16. This is what my friends and I like to call the second generation. Jean and the rest are grown, but we couldn't even think about killing off the Professor…where would we be without him? By the way, if you couldn't tell, Jamie is the daughter of Jean and Scott, and Ben the son of Remy and Rogue. Don't ask how Rogue even began to have a child, you'll have to ask StarStar16 on that one, because I'm confused as well.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Marvel will lay claim too! Mutants, the Xmen, the Brotherhood, blah blah blah. I only own Wisteria. And I don't own Jamie or Dani either. That belongs to my best friends, as mentioned above.

* * *

Xavier looked up at her with those piercing blue eyes as she walked through the mahogany door, frowning as if someone had just sentenced her to death. Xavier motioned for Wisteria to sit in a chair across from him. He shuffled through some papers on his desk in a fruitless, annoying manner for several seconds, his gaze directed at the wood of his desk, not at the eyes of his student that sat across from him. 

Wisteria was the first to speak. Her black hair, highlighted by golds, reds, greens, purples, and blues falling between her eyes, her chin titled down. She held her arms tightly, the lightly tinted green skin almost appearing white from the strain, natural marks of ivy stretching. Xavier could tell she was trying incredibly hard to be polite.

"Dani said you…wanted to see me?"

He sighed and looked long and hard at her before speaking.

"Due to recent events—"

He watched her face go blank as stone, green eyes full of something close to spite.

"—the other teachers and I have decided it would be best if you went into counseling…once a week, for an hour. You do have a choice, of course."

Her answer was something he had expected from the beginning. "There's nothing I want to talk about." Wisteria's tone was cold and apathetic, her eyes now the one that avoided contact.

A few more moments of uncomfortable silence passed, the clock ticking loudly in the background, extremely annoying, before Xavier spoke again, feeling as though he was trying to lead an extremely proud and spooked horse to water. "You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to."

"I know." Her expression clearly told him that she wasn't going to tell him anything at all.

"Everything would be confidential."

She merely gave him that blank look again. There were a few moments of a staring competition before Xavier sighed once more and drew out a black notebook, often used in classrooms. He could feel Wisteria's emerald gaze on it, confused and calculating. He held it up in one hand, gazing back at her calmly.

"I'll make you a deal." He began, interpreting the confusion behind that forced apathetic expression. "If you talk to me once a week for an hour—you can talk about anything you want to—and write whatever you don't want to tell me in this notebook, then we'll stop when the notebook is full, and your restrictions will be lifted."

Suspicion was the first emotion to fill her gaze, something that he saw so often with her.

"Do I have to let you read it?"

"No. Not if you don't want to."

Several moments passed while the mutant girl thought it over, then finally she reached across the table, taking the notebook and flipping through the blank pages as if words would magically appear there.

"Can I write about anything?"

"Anything you want to. It's your notebook."

Her cynical eyes lifted again, studying him for clues of deception. "Fiction or true?"

"Either that you prefer."

"What's the catch?" She said it so coldly, so pronounced as if she knew there was a trap hidden somewhere in that notebook, something she hadn't yet foreseen. He smiled gently at this obvious sign of mistrust, a laugh in his voice, though he didn't mean for it to appear.

"No catch."

Wisteria nodded and stood. "Okay, deal. What day do you want me in here?"

"Your choice. Come whenever you feel like it."

She nodded again and exited, still thumbing through the notebook. Wisteria wasn't particularly paying attention as she climbed the stairs leading to the dormitories. There were three hundred pages in that notebook, college ruled. She could fill that many pages easily, a thousand times over, just by letting her thoughts spill out on the pages. There were so many things that had never seen the light of day, things she dreamed, things she never wanted anyone else to see, but somehow they still saw traces of it. It was like her scars were on her sleeves for the whole world to examine and doctor, no matter how much she struggled. Did she really want to write anything in this notebook? Did she want the chance of anyone reading what she had thought to herself during the past two and a half years?

No choice now. She had struck a deal.

She soundlessly entered the room she shared with Dani and flopped down on the bed. The framed picture of her parents that her best friend had framed and set on the nightstand—both of them smiling and happy, a younger _normal_ version of herself between them—taunted her from its resting place.

_Spill your guts. It might be good for you._

"A lot of things would be good for me." Wisteria growled into her pillow, sighing and turning away from the picture. She looked at her reflection in the mirror, dark circles under the eyes, angry and uncaring expression staring at her.

Her gaze was drawn down to her arms, to the one that was undamaged besides those scars she had either self inflicted or won in combat, and to the other where serial numbers were burned into her arm and into her memory. _MP0013. _The lucky one.

Her next object to stare at was that detested notebook. She glared at it for several seconds. Counseling? Did she really need it? Was she really as insane as everyone took her for?

Wisteria ran a lightly tinted hand through her hair, contemplating her situation. Would it kill her to talk to someone?

_Quite possibly. It's hard enough just to even try to explain myself to Dani._

She picked up a pen from the nightstand she still refused to look at and tapped it absently against the pillow, eventually imprinting the mark of her teeth in the cap.

_I guess I should start writing._

She owed that much to her parents.


	2. Play the Game

Author's Note: Wow, I didn't really expect any reviews at all…thanks! Um, I forgot to mention a few things. At the beginning of every chapter that occurs during a week where Wisteria goes to counseling, I'll have part of her conversation with Professor Xavier in italics. Then in bold, I'll have what she wrote in her notebook, and then at the end with no font changes I'll have what is currently happening.

So basically: _Italics: _counseling conversation if in quotes or thought if not

**Bold:** Wisteria's notebook

Nothing: current happenings.

**CelticHeiressFiona: **Thanks! Here's the update.

**StarStar16: **I'll get on as soon as I have the chance, and no, Jamie isn't in this chapter, but Ben is.

**Silvia Ammons: **How did you know? I do have a case of writer's block at the moment, but I'm working to break it. Please review again, I really enjoyed your review, though I don't see what you saw in that chapter. It was crap. But anyways, there's a reason why Wisteria seems a lot older than she is. She was sort of forced to grow up too fast, but you'll find out about that. And, when you said I "cut it short", did you mean why did I start where I did? That was on purpose, because I'm using a sort of strange story line. Read on and find out. But if you meant "why was it short?"…well, I'm a strong believer in "when it's done, it's done". That, and the writer's block. Tres murdere.

* * *

"_I used to play basketball."_

_"Really? You don't seem the type."_

_"I was never that good."_

_"When was your last game?"_

_"A little over a couple of years ago. It was the night I got my powers. If I hadn't lost my temper, I wouldn't be here now."_

_"You can't change time, Wisteria."_

_"No, I guess I can't."

* * *

_

**The roar of noise was deafening inside the gymnasium, an announcer blaring random events as they happened on the court. Ten sweat-soaked girls ran across the swept wooden floor, all with the same target: an orange rubber ball. They tried to coordinate offenses and defensives while two coaches screamed on the sidelines, urging them to victory. To everyone, the scoreboard was most important: 22 to 20. It was the beginning of the tournament, and this was the first elimination…nobody wanted to go home.**

**The score mattered tremendously to everyone in the stands. Everyone but one girl with long brown hair pulled back, face twisted into a scornful expression as her eyes shot daggers.**

**That one girl didn't care that her team was down by only one shot, that the announcer was booming out passes and fouls, or that some little kid in the stands was screaming murder because he didn't get his hotdog. She only cared that out of all of her team mates stuck on that bench, she was the only one who hadn't had the opportunity to break a sweat.**

**Her coach had made her sit there the entire game, and the clock was ticking. They were already half-way through with the fourth quarter. Her coordination skills weren't legendary, but wasn't she allowed at least one shot at athletic glory?**

**The glare her coach had sent her every now and then plainly disagreed with her reason. Arianne sighed and turned her annoyed emerald eyes to her parents, sitting high up in the stands, supporting her even from her pointless position on the bench. Her Dad looked comically ridiculous, staring into space with a hot dog halfway to his mouth, obviously having just gotten an idea and forgotten about the world while his mind pondered it. Her Mom caught her eye and smiled, giving a tiny wave. She answered with a tiny twitch at the corners of her lips. **

**A time out buzzer jerked her to attention. She stood to allow the girls who were playing a place to sit. Lucky them. She didn't even really like this sport, it would only look good on her college application, but she had taken the time to come out here and given her all in practice. Where was the reward, the feedback?**

**A sudden idea gripped Arianne's mind. She smirked and slid toward the announcer booth, checking herself in for another one she knew was going out anyways.**

**As the warning whistle sounded, she took her position at a guard post, noticing her coach was too busy explaining a play to another player to even notice the mix-up. Waiting for the point guard's signal, she moved around in a darting position for a few moments, finally getting an open pass. As she turned to the goal to feel for a shot, a giant of a player blocked her path, knocking her down as the ball left her hands.**

**The fall was agonizingly slow. After moments of seeming to float through space she finally was able to feel pressure when her foot folded beneath her leg, twisting her ankle painfully. Biting her bottom lip to avoid crying out, Arianne noticed the eyes of her coach on her, scowling. A whistle sounded, and there was someone else, ready to take her place.**

**Even the lightest pressure on her ankle made her want to scream out in protest. She hobbled over to the sidelines, taking her coach's glare without the slightest turn of a hair. His tone was dangerous, but she never drank in the venomous words, too concerned with the shooting pains spreading up her leg.**

**"Have a seat." His ruddy face was inches away from hers. "You're out of the game."**

**"I was out of the game before. I've always been out of the game." She retorted, the look in her eye more dangerous than his. **

**"Then you're out for the season."**

**_"I haven't been in a game since the season started!"_**

_**"Have a seat!"**_

**She drew her face closer to his, her tone low. "Why won't you put me in?" Her words were slowly raising in volume as her one weakness, her temper, took hold. "I slave over pathetic practices, work just as hard as the others, _do everything you say. __Why won't you let me have a chance!"_**

**Her coach opened his mouth to answer, but what would have been a reply gave way to a gasp of awe. The building was quaking beneath them, ivy tendrils creeping between the boards of the floor. All the occupants of the room stared as the floor continued to bulge, a geyser about to erupt. But not Arianne. The combination of indignity, injury, and insult had left her glaring heatedly at her coach, not noticing that he was now staring in horror at her, not noticing that she was changing. Her eyes were glowing an eerie green, hair turning from dark brown to black, skin gaining a green tint and inscribing vines upon itself. As a towering oak crashed through the bulging floor, branches splaying out and causing people to run in terror, Arianne turned and stood dumbfounded as the rest.**

**"What the—"**

**Something blunt and heavy was swung at the back of her head, the same object colliding again at her knees' breaking point. She collapsed to the floor involuntarily, feeling another hit from what revealed itself to be a baseball bat from the sport closet, the wood pummeling her again and again until the brink of unconsciousness. She could see her parents running toward her but being stopped by the crowd, hear sirens in the background muddled with terrified screams of "mutant". The blows stung harshly against her until finally she gave in to the gathering blackness.**

* * *

Wisteria exited Xavier's office, withholding the sigh of relief. She had made their hour long conversation steer clear of any matter of true importance, directing comments toward school or current events if the Professor came too close to a foreclosed subject. IT was a bit unnerving, however, that she could never tell if those blue eyes were piercing her thoughts. Being forced to have a psychic for a psychiatrist wasn't exactly her favorite part of this activity lockdown.

Her eyes were following her feet, step almost militial, rhythmic. One..two…one…two…

"Ow!"

She jerked her head up at the sudden impact, seeing Ben rubbing his forehead with one hand.

"Sorry, Ben. I wasn't looking where I was going."

"Obviously." Ben rolled his eyes, his features a lot more like Gambit since he had grown over the past few months. He was a lot different, mentally and physically, even since Jamie had disappeared.

His black eyes, hollowed by red pupils, bored into her. "Where are you going?"

"Not a clue." Somewhere where she wouldn't have to think.

"You know you're on restriction." Ben was looking at her as if he could tell she longed to get away from the Mansion. Wisteria frowned and sidestepped her friend.

"Thanks for the reminder, even if the restriction was unnecessary."

"You almost killed yourself in the Danger Room! All because you went in there alone and set the level to maximum…" He called after her as she walked away. She didn't even bother to turn and look back.

"Shit happens."


	3. Numb

Author's Note:

**_WARNING!_**: this chapter is dark. Well, a lot of them after this one will be. I told you in the summary that Wisteria was broken, and now you get to find out how that all started. It contains a lot a violence and heartache, so you were forewarned.

Okay, now that that's out of the way, there's some more OCs added to the list in this chapter. Two new ones: Bain Talor (Tah-lor) and Rowan Conners. Bain is a mutant with healing abilities (others, not himself) and Rowan is human, except in my RPG, which I still have to get on again. In the RPG he's a fire elemental, but I decided to stay completely in Stan Lee's world in this fic, not just in my own. So he's completely human. He and Bain also don't stay at the Mansion, but in an apartment in Bayville. Also, just so you know, Dani (Wisteria's best friend) has water powers.

**StarStar16:** Yeah, except I'm not making Jamie "die" like she did in the RPG. It's always seemed too much like a rip off of the movie to me. I'll make a remake of how she "dies" later. And I'm going to review your fic as soon as I get done posting this.

**Silvia Ammons: **Thanks for reviewing again! I had always thought of doing something like that, but I'm going to wait a while before it happens. She's extremely sad...she has a lot of mental problems due to some stuff that happened to her, but she really doesn't recognize that. You'll find out a lot of what makes her the way she is in this chapter.

* * *

It took her a while to break the lock. Beast had reinforced it with even more codes, and she was sure the Danger Room would be a harder obstacle to break into, but the room where they hid her weapons? She could break into that.

The door finally swung inward, admitting her, and Wisteria selected her archery equipment quietly, moving to a staircase across the hall leading to the roof. The walls were close and cramped, light absent once she had closed the door, causing her to feel her way to the exit. Once emerging in sunlight, Wisteria blink owlishly, still unused to the breeze on her face and the sun on her arms, even after eight months of freedom, and three months of living at the Institute.

She nocked her bow and pulled the string taut, muscles straining satisfyingly. Wisteria aimed for a sand bag at the opposite end of the roof and let the arrow fly, going straight through the middle of the bag and snapping when it hit concrete on the other side. Piles of sand would be the only indication she was here.

More arrows hit their mark as she went into a blissfully blank state of mind. It was a lazy summer afternoon; most were indoors, but unrest sent her here.

Most fifteen year old girls couldn't hit their mark this accurately, especially when pulling back nearly seventy-five pounds. Fifteen…what did time mean to her? She wasn't learning to drive, but catching up on lost education; she couldn't be bothered with sleep, food, or friends, but training and her own brand of research was her obsession. And time mattered not at all…it just got in the way.

That numbing chill that came when she fought was welcoming, making her no longer recognize the motion of her body as arrows flew. All the warmth and compassion that flowed readily from the walls of Xavier Institute confused her…she didn't recognize its purpose, so she attempted to run from it. After all, what was happiness but false security? What was pity but recognizing someone weaker?

The corner of her eye caught for a moment the shadow of a man, tall with a shock of blond hair falling between to cold eyes, arms crossed and expression smug. Wisteria's motions stopped, turning her gaze to the intruder's direction, but no one occupied the roof. No one but herself.

Going back to her target, Wisteria murmured aloud, the wind seeming to be her only audience.

"Still watching me, are you?"

* * *

**Waking up was a torrent of pain: old, new, and current. Her body was tense, knotted and sore; her ankle still throbbed like a bizarre form of a heartbeat. Arianne's mind was so quick to register the pain, and yet her thoughts were coming slowly, only one repeating over and over.**

**_What the hell happened?_**

**She opened her eyes groggily, trying to focus on something, trying to understand why it felt as if she were lying on cold stone.**

**Blue eyes were staring back at her, smirk filling her vision and causing her to draw back despite the pain. Whatever man stood over her now laughed softly.**

**"Good morning, mutant. Welcome to your new home."**

**The sentiment was so sarcastic, his voice so cold that she tried to draw back further, but a searing shock rang throughout her spine suddenly, a cry coming from her. At the scream the man's smirk widened considerably.**

**"Now, now, mutant. I'm not done talking to you."**

**Some piece of indignity flooded her. Mutant? The way he spat the word told her that no respect was felt for her, that she was below him in some way. She had no recall of powers that would signify anything close to mutant abilities…except for…at the gym…**

**"Arianne."**

**Those cold blue eyes narrowed within the skull of the man crouching on the floor. "Excuse me?"**

**Though fire was burning her muscles she struggled to her feet, finally stand and glaring at him heatedly. She took in her surroundings: a small stone room with a flickering light and two guards carrying tasers. Her wrists sported two unchained manacles, and something metallic choked her neck. Why was she here…**

**"My name…is Arianne Devon…and…what the hell am I doing here?" Her hissed words were spaced due to short breath, but her flare remained the same all the while. The man with blue eyes stood. The back of his hand against Arianne's cheek caused her to fall, her balance already unstable without the blow due to her ankle. She saw the shine of his black shoes as he stood over her, that cold voice sinking in again.**

**"You have no name. You have no identity. You are a mutant, a freak of society, a danger to all. You are worthless, filth, nothing. Your life is meaningless."**

**As if reinforcing his words, the collar on her neck buzzed in harmony with his moods and excruciating pain filled her again. The ache in her body was so horrible she couldn't move as he leaned down to her, brushing locks of hair out of Arianne's eyes.**

**"But we're going to change that, mutant. You belong to us now, and like it or not, we're going to make you useful. We're going to help you reach your full potential."**

**The man drew away and a guard stepped forward, grinning maliciously. In his hand a piece of metal twisted into a form was held, red hot, just having come from some flame. Two men held her down as he administered the metal to her arm, the smell of seared flesh reaching her as he dug it in. When he took away the burning rod the pain remained, stinging at her left arm, but she didn't have to read was imprinted in her. Her head captor read it to her, smirking in pleasure.**

**"MP0013. Mutant Prisoner 0013. That is the only identification you have."

* * *

**

**Arianne's pride kept the tears from pouring down unchecked…but only just. Cold stone against her naked limbs caused chills to torture her skin, but she couldn't make herself move to what was left of her torn clothing. That man, the one they called White, had only sat and watched as the guards used her body like it was a piece of meat, injuring her and forcing lust on her multiple times. He didn't partake, just watched with those cold eyes.**

**Something told her that now…when she was alone…she should find a weak point, get away, but she couldn't move. She couldn't even find how to call on those strange powers that had landed her here.**

**Mutant…that's what they called her…mutant. She was a mutant…she was MP…**

**_No._ A forceful voice in her mind, different from the fatigue she felt shoved its way in. _No. You are Arianne. You are Arianne Devon. You are not Mutant Prisoner 0013. You have to fight this._**

**"I am Arianne Devon." She whispered quietly, her seared and blistered arm reaching for her torn clothing. Some sort of cover assumed, she wanted to drift into sleep, but the voice wouldn't let her.**

**_Arianne. You are Arianne._**

**Why was she here? She couldn't be Arianne. Arianne would be at home with her parents, discussing the game. Not here.**

**_You are Arianne._**

**The bruises protested as her hand grasped a rock, sharp, and she turned her injured body toward the stone wall. Hours seemed to pass as she scratched endlessly at the wall, some chunks of stone moving as her fingernails broke and her palm grew bloody. Finally strength left her, and she examined the shallow message before drifting into an uneasy sleep:**

**I am Arianne Devon.

* * *

**

**Her first indication of a new day was the flickering light coming to life and the door opening suddenly. Her muscles still sore, but growing accustomed to the pain, Arianne stood when White entered. A shock from the collar forced on her was his initial greeting, as hers was holding back her cry and glaring heatedly.**

**"How are we today, mutant?" The minute he drew close enough to her, she spat in his face, causing him to only wipe away the saliva and knock her to the floor again.**

**"Still left with some spirit, I see." He smirked at her, shaking his head in mock pity. "I've broken far stronger mutants than you. Your nothing more than a child…only now thirteen, am I correct?"**

**She scrambled to her feet again, not answering except to give another glare. He continued on, cruel eyes laughing at her.**

**"However, why don't you try and defend yourself? Why don't you use those demon powers of yours?"**

**Her anger built inside her, a stronger rage than that of before, but as she felt that strange sensation come to a boiling point, Arianne's manacles emitted a shocking pain, both audible and felt, seeming as if it would break her body in two. That ripping force continued until her anger subsided, leaving her to find herself curled up on the floor, panting from the pain.**

**White paid her no attention. His cold eyes were examining that proclamation she had carved into the wall, a look of disgust written on his face. He crossed the floor and stood over her. She watched on through green eyes, wondering what would come of this.**

**"Who are you?"**

**"Arianne De—" More pain racked through her as she heard him speak again, calmly.**

**"It seems I'm going to have to teach you earlier than I thought." He muttered to himself before turning his gaze back to her. Arianne watched him pull out a needle filled with some clear liquid. Twisting her wrist to hold her still, he found a vein and injected the liquid while he spoke quietly.**

**"This is a drug that will paralyze your limbs but enhance your senses and clear your thoughts. The better you listen, the better you learn."**

**Mere moments after it had hit her blood stream, she felt her limbs grow heaver, her ability to think slowed, her heart-rate increase. She felt him carry her—drag her almost—out of the room and into another nearby, one cramped and small. Her fogged eyes could see there was barely enough room for a person to sit…**

**He laid her inside, closing the door behind him. Arianne's heart rate pounded as the darkness seemed to press her, a rasping voice coming from somewhere and telling her of her place.**

**Because she was a mutant, and she was evil.**

**She was nothing, lower than dirt.**

**She was God's abomination.**

**She should be dead, but they allowed her life.

* * *

**

Wisteria replaced the loose floorboard where she kept all things she never wanted the X-men to find. As of now it contained half a dozen lighters, a bloody switchblade, and her archery equipment, as well as a manila folder crammed with odd drawings and that black notebook filled with the twisted story she had created.

Padding downstairs from her dorm room, she paused for a moment at the kitchen to steal a bottle of beer from Logan's stash. If ever she needed to get drunk, this was the night.

The TV was blaring in the living room, three people gathered on the couch. The girl stopped in the doorway of the living room, opening the bottle and scowling at the room's occupants.

"What the hell is he doing here?"

All three persons turned and she examined their expressions: Dani, who dared her with her eyes to start an argument; Bain seemed to be both confused and apprehensive; the boy on the end of the couch just looked confused. He ran a pale, spidery hand through his dark hair and frowned.

"Who? Bain, or me? Because Bain's here to hang out with Dani. I'm here for the pizza."

She rolled her eyes and looked at Dani, whose eyes were glued to the bottle in her hands. Bain had noticed it too; before Wisteria had a chance to stop them, they set in.

"You're going to get drunk again." Bain stated quietly.

"No…how did you know?"

"You're on restriction. You can't have that."

"I can't even have it when I'm not on restriction."

Dani created a water bal in her palm. "If you're going to be stupid, at least let me water it down."

"No," She stated it simply flopping down in an armchair and chugging a third of the bottle just out of spite.

Bain sighed and turned to the boy with black hair. "Rowan, do we have anything but pizza with M&Ms?"

"Nope." He took a huge bite of an M&M covered pizza, sauce dribbling down his chin.

"Great."

Rowan shrugged. "It's note my fault mutants don't have good taste in food."

Dani sighed. "Don't call us that. It's degrading."

Wisteria shot a dark look at Rowan, one full of more hatred than anyone should hold. "No, being called human would be degrading."

A sigh was emitted from Dani, Rowan looking mildly offended and confused, grease streaking his cheek.

"Wist, please don't start anything. He didn't do anything to you."

"Yet."

"Why do you hate humans so much anyways?" Dani's blue eyes bored into her set face. Her answer came in as emotionless a voice as ever she could make it.

"Because they hate us."


	4. Burn

**_Author's Note: _**It's been a while, but this story is back, like me, like all the others. I'm working on it. I'm working on anything...**anything**...that will take my mind off my life. I just...need my characters to live for me for a while.

_

* * *

_

_Did you come here to watchme burn?_

_Let it show that I'm not always hiding. _

_Come all the way down and watch me burn._

_I won't let it show that I'm not always flying._

_So on the way down I'll watch you burn._

_--Three Days Grace_

* * *

"I cannot believe you got that drunk." Dani looked at Wisteria reproachfully as the green girl splashed her face with ice cold water in their small white bathroom. 

"I only got a little buzzed, was all. I was not drunk." Wisteria replied calmly, pressing the white towel into her face.

"After that much whiskey? You were drunk."

"Whatever you say, Dani." Wisteria turned and regarded her best friend with a certain sense of apathy. Dani's blue eys were glaring angrily underneath her blue-tipped blonde pixie cut hair. The tall white girl had her arms crossed, as usual.

"You kissed Rowan!"

"Did I?" Wisteria's tone was offhand.

"Before slapping him."

"Well, he shouldn't have kissed me."

Dani sighed. "No, _you _kissed_ him_."

Wisteria smirked. "That's not how I remember it."

She could tell Dani was about to blow a fuse in frustration. "You don't remember anything at all!"

"Exactly."

There was a pause as Wisteria knelt beside her bed and felt in the space underneath.

"What are you doing?" Dani asked impatiently.

"I thought we'd go visit an old friend of mine." She called back, still rummaging under the bed.

"You're under restriction."

"I am," Wisteria agreed, pulling her head back from under the bed frame, holding up an I.D. "But Grabrielle Docks isn't."

Dani merely covered her face with her hand and sighed.

* * *

**One got used to pain after a while. the after-effects of the drug was that the numb feeling went away and was replaced by tense muscles and old shocks of pain. Arianne barely felt any of it. She barely moved when the feeling came back to her limbs, and didn't move at all when footsteps came toward the cold, dark room. She barely even lifted her eyes as the door opened and light streamed in. White stood there, smiling that cold smirk. **

**"Good afternoon, mutant. How was your lesson?"**

**She didn't answer, only stared blankly at him from where she lay. Arianne got to her feet slowly, her eyes hollow and limbs obeying automatically to a thoughtless command. White and Arianne were locked in a staring competition that ended once White spoke in a smug voice.**

**"It's time for a different lesson, mutant. Come." He turned away, but she only stared at his back.**

**_Why should I follow his--_**

**Her thought was interrupted by a shock of pain that her muscles responded to instantly, carrying her forward after White. Thoughts seemed sluggish, almost controlled. They were often interrupted or replaced.**

**_My name is--_**

**_MP0013._**

_**Why should I follow his command?**_

**_He allows you life._**

_**I have to get out of here.**_

**_There is no escape._**

**White had stopped outside of wide metal doors that had slid back into a wide room, empty and welll lit.**

**"After you." White said with a smirk.**

**_I don't want to go in there._**

**_You have no choice._**

_**I don't want--**_

**Once again her muscles responded to the shock of pain. She stepped inside the room and waited.**

**White's voice floated from the walls. "Your collar and manacles have been shut off from causing you dicipline white using you powers. Denfend yourself."**

**_What does that..._**

**That sound of grinding gears met her ears and her muscles tensed, the hairs on the back of her neck raising in apprehension. Her eyes darted around, waiting to see where the eerie noise came from. A noise like a loud gunshot filled the white room as a red beam narrowly missed her ear and hit the opposite wall. Arianne spun around, watching dozens of tiny lazers all trained on her.**

**_Oh, shit._**

**They readjusted as she took a step back, and then all began to fire at once.**

**Arianne had never fought before. She didn't know how to fight, how to defend herself or dodge firing lazers. So she didn't understand why she was dropping to the groun, raising one arm above her head, and crawling toward a piece of metal that had fallen off one of the walls. Her first thought was the use her power. It was from that muddled voice that confused her, not her own mind.**

**_No. You don't need your powers. You can't even control them. Think!_**

**The lazers were trailing after her hitting where she had been only seconds before. **

**_Heat-seekers._ The phrase came to mind out of nowhere. the metal she had been crawling toward was hot to the touch. Before she thought about it, she flung it at one of the lazers. It stuck in the wall next to it, and there was a momentary pause as the lazers turned and blasted the one spot, taking out two or three. There was momentary chaos as hot shrapnel flow everywhere, beams from the lazers ricocheting everywhere. Though she was trying to stay as low as possible, Arianne felt a sharp sear of pain in her left shoulder blade.**

**Then all of the firing stopped. Arianne looked up to see pockmarks where the lazers had fired and been hit. Skill or brilliance had nothing to do with it.**

**It was only sheer dumb luck she lived through that.**

**These thoughts raced through her mind before she fainted.

* * *

**

**Arianne woke to a sharp blow to her ribs. Her eyes opened heavily to take in one of the guards that had raper her the other night.**

**"Wake up, mutie." His gnarled hand pulled her up painfully by the hair. "Boss ain't too happy with you, he ain't. Says you cheated him of a good show."**

**She glared at him and spat at him, her first instinct to bite him. He merely grinned evilly.**

**"Now, now, mutie. You ain't gonna last long. Might as well play nice." He leaned forward. Arianne could smell the hot stench of his breath. "Ya see, we don't care if ya die or not. An' ya gonna die, no doubt about that. Ya got no muscle on ya."**

**He straightened up and kicked a tray toward her, spilling liquid on the stone floor. 'Your dinner, mutie."**

**Arianne had been staring listlessly away from him most of the time he had been there, but as he turned she spoke in a dead tone. "My name is Arianne."**

**He only slammed the door in response. She didn't move.**

**They were trying to break her. They probably would. She felt numb already. Memories and thoughts came slowly. But one resounded loud and clear: survive.**

**Arianne ate the bread and cheest listlessly and drank the water without tasting any of it. She stared at the tray for a moment then picked it up and aimed for a stone on the wall. The tray hit close--low but close. She continued to throw the tray at her target, metal sounding off stone, until ever throw hit the exact spot she looked at.

* * *

**

"Where are we?" Dani sounded panicky as they pulled up next to a dark and dingy alleyway in the bad section of town. "Why are we here?"

Wisteria got out without answering. She walked into the alleyway, stopped by a tall man who swung back his overcoat that had been concealing his gut and a pistol. "This area is restricted, miss."

Wisteria smirked. "Really?" Quicker than the eye could follow Wisteria snatched the gun from his belt loop and twisted back his right arm as he reached a hand to stop her.

* * *

Arachne looked up in a disgruntled manner as three loud booms sounded on her door. "I tol' yeh no' to bother meh, Antonio. Yeh don' lissen, mate." She had all intentions of poisoning him when when another bang accompanied her sentiment. That was before the door was kicked in and Antonio was thrown in head first. Arachne examined the girl in the doorway before smirking broadly. "Wisteria, love! How are yeh?" 

"I've been better, Arachne." Wisteria entered, closely gollowed by a scowling blond. "And I've bene better for three reasons. One, before I didn't have to chase you down. Two, before I didn't have to kick in the door. Three, before I wasn't cheated out of five-hundred dollars." Wisteria glared at her. "I want my money back."

Arachne leaned back in her chair. "Mate, I'm a thief. I stole yeh're money, made a profit. Yeh ai' gettin' money back, love."

Wisteria's eyes narrowed "I'm sorry to hear that." Her eyes began glowing a deep emerald, but Arachne held up her hand hastily.

"Now, now, love. Don' be gettin' hasty. Can't give your money back. What I give yeh is information." Arachne pushed the sunglasses back up closer to her irisless eyes. That sun coming through the doorway was murder. "There been some...new addition to the city la'ely. Politician, the like. Bad crowd. Migh' be who yeh're looking fer." Arachne slid a folder across the table and Wisteria took.

Wisteria leafed through the documents then looked up. "These authentic."

"I don't lie. Meh honor means meh life."

"You never spoke a truer word." Wisteria closed the folder. "New marks?"

"We won't need that." The blonde said quickly, having been silent before hand. Wisteria glared at her, then spoke again.

"Fake I.D. has expired, Arachne."

"She won't be getting a new one." Dani interrupted again, her eyes blazing.

Arachne smirked, one fang showing. "This yeh're chaperoane, Wist? Becoming of yeh. Keep yeh in line."

"You bet I will." Dani said fiercely.

Wisteria turned to Arachne. "See you next week,Arachne, without the chaperoane." She marched out, the blonde following. Arachne had trouble suppressing a laugh.


	5. Jennifer

**Author's Note:** And I'm back. And since only StarStar16 reviewed, this entire note goes to her. I think the next chapter is when she breaks out of the prison, so Jamie should be showing up in two or three chapters. Don't worry. I couldn't leave the Jamester out of this. She's too important.

* * *

Rowan sat down with a sigh, waiting on the pizza he had just ordered. Bain wasn't back from his job yet. He probably wouldn't be for another fifteen minutes or so. 

He had suggested moving into the mansion. Rowan was sure the idea had been Dani's, but what was the point, anyways? He wasn't a mutant, so technically he would be back on the streets. And even if he did get to live there, he would only get more verbal harrasment from Wisteria every single day.

He had some secrets of his own. He wasn't human, but he was as far as she could tell, because she knew he wasn't a mutant. And any time he tried to get close he got rebuffed. Just for not being a mutant. Of course, he got the worst of it, but it wasn't like he hadn't noticed it happened with everyone. Even Jamie, who everyone got along with, had had a hard time getting Wisteria not to bite her head off when she had been around.

Oh, and that was another reason not to move into the mansion. Jamie. Because ever since she had died, Ben had been treating everyone except him with indifference. Rowan he singled out and made an example of. Freeloader. Charity case. Random words to describe him. Sometimes even thief.

One time and you're branded for life.

Rowan sighed again and leaned his head against the back of the couch, closing his ice blue eyes and picturing the night before. What he wouldn't give if Wisteria could just give him a second thought and be _sober_. That kiss had sent him through the roof, but the whiskey tainted it. It had just been from a drunken troubled girl. He remembered her laugh...she had still been drunk, but it was nice. She never laughed. Never smiled. He'd give anything to make her smile. It hurt to know he couldn't.

He heard a key turn in a lock behind him and didn't even raise up or turn to greet Bain as he came in.

"You asleep, bud?" He heard his best friend say as he entered the apartment.

"No." He answered, still not opening his eyes. "I ordered a pizza."

"I intercepted it on the stairs. Double pepperoni?"

"That's the one."

Bain sat down on the opposite end of the couch. Bain was practically his brother. It felt like they had been looking out for each other forever. "What's up? You'd think you'd be in a better mood. What is it, Friday? Shouldn't you have a date, or something?"

"No date." In the old days Rowan could find a girl in a snap, and they'd have maybe a good two weeks together before it ended. He hadn't had a date in weeks.

"No date? You sick, or something?" Bain had a laugh in his voice as he said it, but as Rowan opened his eyes and just looked at him apathetically, he immeadiately sobered. "Dude, seriously. What's wrong?"

"Nothing, Bain." He took a piece of pizza and caught a string of cheese before it fell onto the floor. "It's not important."

* * *

**She lost track of time. She forgot how long she had been there. A month? A day? A year? The wall that had at first started out as only a block with her name carved into it now had that same sentence carved as far up as she could reach. Here and there there were drawings and song lyrics, anything she could remember. Arianne sometimes wondered who had carved those things. She often forgot who she was, what she had done the day before, when she had gotten there, or whether she had ever been free in the first place.**

**She had aquired some skill, however. She was no longer living off of pure luck in the danger room. All of her skill was used, and day by day, after countless different combat situations, her starving body was getting stronger in reacting automatically, merely for the sake of survival. Because of malnutrition, all she had now was the skill built into her mind. No great increasement of strength. It was like she acted without thinking now. **

**Arianne still resisted the voice that told her to use her mutant powers however. It had earned her many scars, some from beatings, some from brandings, and some from the combat room itself. It meant that White offered her no protection against the soldiers when they wanted to have their fun with her. But she had learned to block out the pain by now. Sometimes she found herself even wanting it. Needing it. It was the only thing the that made her realize she was alive.**

**"Who am I?" She whispered, suddenly hearing the footsteps coming down the hall in quick succession. Their was a drag in the quick step. They were bringing something to her. She didn't try to figure it out anymore.**

**A small amount of light came into the room as White opened the door. The lightbulb in her room still flickered. The collar around her neck still chaffed her.**

**They threw in someone and White sidestepped the body, looking at Arianne where she sat on the floor, staring at her knees. "Morning, mutant. Did you sleep well?"**

**She didn't answer. She didn't remember if she had slept or not. White didn't seem to notice. He pointed to the body he had thrown into the room. "This girl is a traitor to our cause, mutant. Her father was caught trying to help your kind further destroy our good earth. So we brought you his daughter. You are to kill her." He turned to leave the room. She could hear his smirk just by listening to his voice. "If you don't, we'll torture her and then force you to kill her. But we'll give you some time to do it on your own." He left, and the door's slam was ominous.**

**The little girl couldn't have been more than eight or nine years old. She was crying against the stone floor, huddled up and shivering in a corner, watching Arianne with frightened eyes. Arianne cast her a look for a few seconds, but didn't make a move toward her. She just continued to stare at her knees. A few more seconds went by and Arianne heard them sliding in her dinner. Several more minutes passed in silence. The girl had stopped crying. She was just sniveling now.**

**"You hungry?" Arianne said apathetically. The girl didn't respond. Arianne slid the tray over to her, and then turned her attention back to her knees.**

**"You're...you're not going to kill me?" **

**"If I don't, they will." She replied in the same monotone. She sighed, and looked at the girl, examining her. "No. I'm not going to kill you until I absolutely have to. In fact, I suggest you kill yourself."**

**"But...but...that's wrong..." She whimpered. Arianne shrugged. What did right and wrong mean anymore? The girl wiped her eyes and scooted toward Arianne. "My name's Jennifer. What's yours?"**

**"I don't know."**

**"You mean you don't know your own name?"**

**"Nope." The girl was looking at her in shock. **

**"But if you don't know your name, how can you know who you are?"**

**"I don't."**

**The girl inched a little closer to her, examing her under the dim light. "Your skin is pretty. It has little flowers and vines on it." When Arianne replied, the girl just went on with her assessment. "That one's a rose...and you have a lot of wisteria here...does it always have flowers?" **

**Arianne shrugged. "It had thorns once." **

**The girl smiled. "I like wisteria. It's pretty." Her lamplike black eyes went to Arianne's face while a strand of her long black hair fell in front of her face. "Can I name you?"**

**Arianne shrugged once more. "Go ahead, if you want." Best to let the kid do what she wanted before Arianne had to kill her. It was almost as if she was granting her a death wish.**

**"Wisteria. I think you should be Wisteria."**

**"Wisteria it is then." Arianne watched the girl yawn. "You should probably get some sleep. They probably won't be back till late tommorrow." The girl nodded and curled up near Arianne. She just sat there in the same position she had been in for hours, and took a piece of the bread the little girl hadn't eaten. After injesting a little bit of nourishment, she began to sleep in that exact same position.

* * *

**

**_She had a dream she had many nights. She was laughing and free, skin a normal color, outside of a house that was off of a dirt road and had a lot of morning glories and marigolds growing around it. She was around six or seven, and today was the day she learned to ride a bike without training wheels. Her mother was standing a good distance off, watching as her dad coached her through it._**

_**"Now, I'm going to be here to make sure you don't fall. You'll be okay, Ari." He began to push her forward slowly. "Begin peddling."**_

_**"Daddy, I'm not sure if..."**_

_**"You got this, sweetie. You can do this. Just peddle slowly."**_

_**So she peddled. She peddled and let her dad guide her from behind, making sure she didn't fall. It was slow at first, but then she began picking up speed, and she realized that her dad was falling behind. She was growing older, the bike was getting bigger as she grew, and the grass was dieing, turning to stone beneath her. Soon there was no bike at all. No parents at all. And she hadn't reached her mother. **_

_**"I'm dissappointed in you, mutant."

* * *

**_

**Arianne opened her eyes as the sentiment she thought was only in her dreams was repeated. "I'm dissappointed in you, mutant." She saw White standing a good ways off, in the doorway, looking at the girl who had fallen asleep next to her. Jennifer. "I ask you to do a simple thing, and you cannot." White moved into the room, kneeling next to Arianne. Jennifer was still sleeping. "Now, mutant, you learned a long time ago that resistance is futile. You can no longer hope to escape here. Don't you remember trying?" He didn't wait for Arianne to reply. "Do you want this normal little girl to suffer the fate that you deserve?"**

**Arianne was watching Jennifer now. How could she sleep through this? How was it possible? No one could be sure. She was just watching her apathetically. Just a normal little girl. **

**"Just kill her. It would be easy. You could do it painlessly. Spare her."**

**They were going to kill her if she didn't. She knew they didn't have any mercy. This was something she was going to have to do.**

**Slowly she pressed a finger against Jennifer's throat, finding the spot she was seeking. Arianne sat near enough to her that she could hold her still when she woke up, which she did a few seconds later, trying to breathe and finding she couldn't. Jennifer struggled to sit up, to throw Arianne off of her, but Arianne held her still. "I'm sorry. I have to." She whispered. She continued to watch until finally the girl struggled her last, dieing from lack of oxygen.**

**White smirked in her direction. "Good job, mutant. You are a murderer." He stood up and left the room, leaving her there with the dead body.

* * *

**

Wisteria had gotten tired of Dani constantly nagging her about her affiliation with Arachne. She had had to do some things in her past that she regretted.

She flopped down on her bed and turned on the TV, watching FUSE flicker to life. Jimmy Eat World were strumming fast and hard. After watching for a few moments, she finally fell back against the pillows and let the music wash over her.

So, everything was in the past. Including whatever had happened when she was completely smashed.

Yep. Completely in the past.

Wisteria heard footsteps somewhere in the room. She sighed and buried her face in her hands. "Dani, go away."

But Dani didn't answer. Wisteria raised up and looked around the room, gasping when she saw a small black-haired little girl smiling innocently at her. "Hi, Wisteria. Remember me?"


	6. Visions

**Author's Note: **I'm continueing it as fast as I can because I'm getting some serious writer's spur on this story all of a sudden. Thanks to all my reviewers! I know that OC fics aren't normally read much, but I appreciate you reading this one.

**StarStar16: **And Benny boy's gonna be in it too! If you have any particular situations you want me to put in concerning your charries, email me and I'll try to work them in.

**Turtle: **gasp You've actually been reading? Why didn't you review before? Come on, remember to review! I need the reviews!

**My PenName is...:** Awesome pen name. Thankyou for reviewing! I'm glad you like the fic! (My character is psychotic. Tee-hee)

* * *

Wisteria sat up fast, her hand reaching underneath her pillow for her knife. How the hell was that kid was in this room?

As soon as she sat up, the room was empty. No one there. Just the TV blaring. Wisteria passed a hand over her eyes and sighed. "Must've dozed off for a second there." She looked at herself in the mirror. "She's dead, Wist. And you can't go without sleep forever, no matter how hard you try."

Something in her gut told her she hadn't been asleep at all. She had never mistrusted her gut, but she wasn't going to start arguing with herself over whether she was seeing dead people or not. It was a dream, and that was all there was to it.

Maybe some cold water would help her to shake off the bad feeling. She went into their small white bathroom and began splashing water into her face. The icy pelts of liquid helped her face reality. It was just fatigue mixed with dozing dreams that had made her see Jeniffer. She was amazed she could still remember the girl's name. That was a long time ago.

The light in the bathroom flickered ominously. She felt hot breath in her ear, a sneering voice speaking softly. "You led us right to the other mutants, didn't you? You would have thought you'd have left by now, trying to protect them. You remember what happened last time...the redhead died because of you...and your parents."

That voice was paralyzing. But as soon as the light stopped flickering she spun. She was alone. White she hadn't killed yet. She was still looking for him. Was it possible he was here? But how had he entered without her even knowing it? How was it possible he was here?

Wisteria cast a glare in the direction of the light. She'd have to remember to get it replaced as soon as possible.

* * *

**"Has it really been two years, mutant?" White asked her calmly from the otherside of the table. Every day since three days after the little girl had died they had played this game. They had left her corpse in her cell for two or three days. The stench was horrible. She stared into Jeniffer's empty sockets for that period of time and felt herself losing her last grips on reality. She had committed the ultimate evil. She was just as bad as they said she was. **

**In all reality, she didn't exist.**

**And now she, everyday, they questioned her. Every day. Same question. She'd tell them if she knew the answer. But she didn't.**

**White continued. "Two years since we first brought you back here, under our wing. You've always belonged to us, you know. They just stole you away. And we had to hurt you to get you back to your original state. You're a soldier. A ruthless killer. You could be evil, but since we weild you, you do good."**

**She knew all of this already. She waited for him to go on. **

**"And yet, in all the days we have asked you, you still do not answer us. Where are the other mutants?"**

**"I don't know." She had never met another mutant. She sometimes wondered if she was the only mutant alive. And if that was the case, why did they ask her these questions?**

**She didn't know. She didn't wonder any more.**

**White smiled in an almost fatherly way at her. "I had a feeling you would say that. Know that I know you are lieing. I thought we had completely broken you. Apparently we haven't, and we have some work to do." When she only watched him with dull eyes, he turned toward the door behind her. "Bring them in."**

**Arianne didn't turn as she heard the doors slide open softly, and heard guards drag something in. It sounded like two somethings. There were muffled yells issuing from the somethings. Were they bringing her more traitors to terminate? It wasn't killing anymore. Nothing had any meaning. She watched White's smile widen. "Turn and look, my dear."**

**Arianne obeyed, and surveyed two people with hands pinned behind their backs and mouths gagged. The male was struggling the most. The female had been crying. Both looked oddly familiar...they were older, grown...she struggled to bring up where she had seen their faces, and why they brought up such feelings of comfort and horror at once. Deep in her gut she felt they shouldn't be there.**

**The male's eyes had widened slightly, and his gag had slipped from his mouth as the guard loosened it. "Arianne? Is that...it can't be."**

**She heard White laugh. "See the monster your daughter is?" Who were they talking about. The other female? She was the only other 'she' in the room. She had a name once...**

**The guard kicked the male forward, and Arianne felt a shock go through her that brought her to her knees. White's voice sounded again. "We have guns trained on you and your daughter. Go to her. See if she even recognizes you."**

**Arianne expected the man to go to his companion that had been brought in with him, but he staggered toward her, dropping to his knees and cupping her face in his hands. "Ari, honey, it's me. It's your dad." Her father? But...had she ever had one? She supposed it was impossible for her to not have a biological one, but the memories seemed blurry. As no sign of recognition flickered across her face, he sighed and she looked into his blue eyes, deeply troubled. "What have they done to you?" What had they done to her? She couldn't remember.**

**Protected her. Taught her. Rescued her. Saved her.**

**The man continued to talk to her softly, stroking her face with his thumb. "Sweetie, I'm your dad. You are Arianne Devon. Do you remember anything? Your mother? Me? Yourself? Anything?" She remembered her cell. She remembered...**

**_I am Arianne Devon._**

**Carving it in mindlessly every night.**

**_I am Arianne Devon. I am Arianne Devon. I am Arianne Devon._**

**Her body began to shake in both fear and shock as the memories came in in floods. Summers at the beach. Movie marathons. The day she learned to ride a bike. Her last basketball game. Her father's arms enveloped her and rocked her gently as she began to cry into his shoulder. "It's okay. It's okay, honey, it's alright." She could hear them unbinding her mother. Were they finally releasing her? Was this the end of the nightmare?**

**Her dad was being torn away from her, and she grasped at him to tried to keep them from taking him away, but they did. White now stood in front of her, peering down on her tear stained face. "We offer a trade." He pointed at her parents. "Their lives for what you know. You tell us where the mutants are, or they die."**

**In her current state of shock, this was too much to deal with. She didn't know where the mutants were. She never had. "I don't know where they are. I've never met another mutant. You took me away when I first became one, remember?" She said through gritted teeth. She tried to glare, but she felt just as broken as she always had. Broken, hurt, hungry, tired...White smiled a cruel grin. **

**"Liar." He turned to the guard. "Hold them still. The father should go first." He drew out a small pistol and stood a moment away from her father, gun pointed at his head.**

**Arianne began to whimper. "Please..." She whispered. "I'm not lieing...don't..." The gun shot was loud. And all of her pleas were too late. She heard her mother let out a bitten back cry. White turned to her, a look of mock grief on his expression. "He needn't have died. If you hadn't lied, he wouldn't have." He pointed the gun at her mother. "Need she die too?"**

**Arianne almost felt like yelling at this point. She tried to get up but couldn't. "I don't know anything! I really don't!" A second gunshot filled the hall, though this time the blood billowed from the stomach. The pain in her mother's eyes was unbearable.**

**White smiled sadly. "Say your goodbyes. Apologize for it being your fault. She has minutes left, I imagine."**

**She could move now. She crawled over to her mother and laid down beside her, feeling the wet, warm blood underneath her. Blood. A river of blood. Tons of blood, everywhere, like a dark sticky pool. Her mother tried to speak but only soft moans came out. "I'm so sorry, mom." Arianne whispered. "This is my fault."**

**Her mother smiled and shook her head slightly. "I love you, Ari. I don't blame you..." The words were laboured, and as she spoke the last word the light went from her eyes. Dead eyes.**

**Like Jeniffer's dead eyes.**

**Arianne stood slowly, turning to face White. She felt dead inside. Numb. Worthless. White smiled condescendingly and spoke. "See what you do, mutant? You hurt. You only cause pain. Anywhere you go, anyone you care for, we will find and destroy. And it will always be your fault. It will be until you join your dead parents that you murdered." He didn't even notice the rumbles growing underneath his feet. She didn't notice them either. She felt strangely light. And scared. And angry. Furious waves of blind anger coursing through her. It felt right. It felt good. White just kept on speaking. The guards were looking doubtful as the ceiling began to crack. "Everything that goes wrong is your fault. You don't deserve to be alive. You don't even exist."**

**Vines began coming from the ceiling slowly. Bits of ceiling came down. The lights were flickering. She just concentrated on that anger. Something in her wanted to make White stop speaking. Forever. She wanted them to stop...all of them. All of them, even the guards, even anyone who had ever set foot in the building. She was dimly aware that they were running now, and White was yelling at her to stop, and they were trying to shock her into submission using the manacles and the collar. But she didn't feel any of it. She was used to the pain; it was like the stinging of bees, and it fueled her anger. It felt good.**

**As the building crashed down around her, she was dimly aware that vines had wrapped around her and were taking her out of there before she could be crushed. Something in her subconcious was getting her out of there. She wanted to make sure White was dead...but by the time she reached the outside she realized the entire building was just one big tomb. A tomb for evil and good, and for two years.**

**When Arianne passed out, it was at the side of the road, miles and miles away...maybe even hundred of miles away. That anger had moved her so fast and so completely; she had no idea what her powers could do. No idea. But that anger had taken her away from the tombs, and the sand and desert that had been around them to a place with grass and trees and paved streets. She had no idea where she had been, or where she was now, but there was light here. The lights were friendly.**

**When she passed out, the last thing she saw was the lights being blocked out by some form that looked like a person...friendly or not, she didn't care anymore.

* * *

**

Wisteria ran into Dani on her way out of the room. "The lightbulb in the bathroom needs replacing, Dani." Wisteria told her before going around her. Dani looked at her strangely.

"I just replaced it two days ago."

"We must be having a power shortage then."

Dani was still giving her a strange look. Wisteria let it slide. She had to find something to do, somewhere to be. Something to think about besides all that was running through her mind.

She descended the stairs in steps of twos and threes, hoping that someone would be downstairs to distract her. But as she reached the bottom step she stopped, staring into the dead eyes of her mother's corpse, blood spilt all over the floor and splashed all over the walls, all over the furniture, all over her. Starting to shake, Wisteria blinked hard, trying to make it go away, but to no avail. It was still there.

Wisteria turned to run out of the room, trying to get away as fast as she could, but running into Logan first. He raised his eyebrows, looking at her cautiously.

"What is it, kid? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Logan...do you...did you see..." She turned, but the livingroom was just the livingroom. It had always been just the livingroom.

"Did I see what?"

"Nothing." She sighed. "It's nothing."


	7. Rain

**Author's Note: **Yet another chapter! I'm really getting strong vibes from this story lately, so the updates hopefully will be often. Many thanks to my few but faithful reviewers! I really appreciate it.

**turtle: **Yeah, Wisteria has been through a lot. She's pretty messed up from it, and no...the light was never flickering. Her imagination is getting out of hand.

**My PenName is...:**I couldn't have taken it either. I would just be a vegetable for the rest of my life.

Special note to Kelly: this chapter includes your characters, so you had better review!

* * *

Logan surveyed her carefully, but he was true to his usual nature. He didn't question it. "Okay. Just take it easy. You look a little pale." Logan turned and stalked off down the hall, leaving Wisteria alone once more. She could feel her entire body shaking, her mind reeling with what she had just seen. She didn't feel tired, but she must be...but she was fully awake when she had heard White speak. He had to be hear, using a halucinogen. He had done it before, many times...but that had been nearly a year ago. And she had never found him, never killed him. He was the last one. All the others she had proven dead...every single one, except him. Was it possible that he was now back to take her back?

Her fist clenched suddenly and her eyes burned in anger. That would never happen. She would die before going back to that horrible place.

Never. Never, never, never.

She needed to drive, hard and fast, away from here. Going to a row of keys that was hung on the wall nearest the double doors, she selected Jamie's old car. She was no longer alive, and Ben refused to drive it, so what was the point in it sitting unused? It had been Scott's car before Scott had given it to his daughter as a gift. Now she could almost see it as an escape. Jamie had provided several of those...escapes for her anger, excuses for her absences, ways for her to get out of anything, even if she didn't give Jamie an explanation. Jamie had been good for things like that.

The cherry red mustang sat in the garage, just waiting for her. She didn't even wait for the electronic gates leading to the outside roads to open fully. As soon as they would even barely admit the mustang she zoomed through and turned dangerously fast on the dirt road, kicking up dust. Wisteria had to be doing close to ninety by the time she reached any main roads. It felt good. She was letting the music pound through the stereos, not even thinking of the song, or where she was going, or what she was running from...or even who she was. It was like old times.

The music seemed to agree with her.

_If you want me, hold me back._

_Frail. The skin is dry and pale._

_The pain will never fail._

_And so it goes back to the remedy._

_Clip the wings that get you high._

_Just leave them where they lie_

_And tell yourself_

_"You'll be the death of me."_

_(A/N--Seether, Remedy)_

She was letting go of everything now, even her thoughts. Sometimes Arianne didn't exist. They were two seperate people now. Two seperate worlds now. Arianne was dead...Wisteria had killed her too. She had killed everything, even the memories. That's what ghosts were for. And soon she would make them go away, she would make it all disappear.

Wisteria jumped when she heard a friendly, familiar voice beside her and turned her head to see her father, head wounded, smiling at her and teaching her to drive, as he had when she was younger. "You don't have to drive so fast. Yeah, it feels good, but it get you killed. Just ease off the gas and maybe even press the brakes a little bit. Beyond that you're doing fine."

Wisteria was about to reply, close her eyes and try to block out the wound that was still leaking blood. Blood, dark blood.

A loud car horn sounded, and she could hear her father shouting. "Ari, look out!"

Wisteria saw the headlights a moment too late.

* * *

**She woke up warm, sleepy, tired, and weak. Her vision was somewhat blurred and there was a low light shining next to her. Someone was standing over her and bathing her forehead with a warm cloth. Arianne tried to sit up, but whoever was watching over her gently laid a hand on her shoulder. "Lay back down, child. It's alright. My name is Jeff; I'm taking care of you."**

**She was to weak to disobey, even though he didn't try to force her to lie back down. She felt the man's hand stopping her from laying back down completely, and a glass was pressed to her lips, cold water pouring down her throat. He then let her lay back down and continued to bathe her forehead with cool water. A door opened somewhere and someone came in.**

**"How is she?"**

**"She awake, a little, but the fever is still pretty bad. I've gotten most of the wounds bandaged up."**

**"Has she said anything yet?"**

**"No, but I'd love to get my hands on whoever did this to this poor kid. She's been half starved."**

**Whoever had entered exited just as quickly, and the blurry form of Jeff turned back to her. "What's your name, darlin'?" He waited for her to respond while she tried to process the question. It didn't make much sense. A name came to her mind, but it didn't seem to make any sense or fit with her at all. Arianne Devon couldn't be her...or if it was, it wasn't anymore...then she heard a little girl's voice in the back of her head.**

**_Can I name you?...I think you should be Wisteria._**

**"Wisteria." She whispered, then shivered. The warm, toasty room had suddenly turned ice cold. Her body was shaking before she could stop it, breaking out in a cold sweat. Jeff's voice was calming. **

**"Go to sleep, Wisteria. It'll be okay. Whatever you've escaped from, you're safe here."**

**So she went to sleep, completely oblivious to the world.

* * *

**

**The room felt neither warm nor cold when she next awoke. The room felt too completely closed in, haunted and dark, small. **

**Panic raised in her throat like a disease. Even though this room had a small lamp and a bed, no stone, and some small boxes, plus a window, it was still closed in. It was a cell. Why was she here?**

**There had been someone here named Jeff. But he might be a plant sent by them. He might try to smuggle her back, coax her back, and then they'd beat her for leaving. She had to get out of there.**

**Wisteria's limbs stretched uncomfortably as she climbed out of bed, and for a moment she fell, too weak to walk well. But she crawled to the window, unlatching it and crawling out, the nightair hitting her. She welcomed it and yet it frightened her, all in one small moment. Even worse than the closed in room she had just left, this was so much _space._ So much room to run around and for the unknown to hunt and find her. She felt so small and inadequate as she crawled from the windowsill to the small drop below and just lay in the grass below, unable to move a bit further for a moment. Car horns blared in the distance and she moaned, unaware of what she listening to; it had been so long since she had heard a cricket, the sound of rushing traffic, the smell of grass...rain.**

**Rain. It was falling on her softly. She shivered at first, but it felt good...it washed through the thin wrappings that she realized covered her wounds from the whip weals and the other cuts, and the flannel outfit she was now clad it. Warm and light, it soaked through to her, and she just lay there letting it hit her softly, not causing any pain...it was just like soft taps on her body.**

**There were voices inside the room she left now. Jeff's, and then two others.**

**"We found her about two days ago, Jamie. I was hoping you could...she's gone."**

**A male's voice sounded. "As bad off as you say she was, and she's gone?"**

**Jeff spoke again. She could hear the frown in his voice. "She was still crawling when I found her. It looked like she had gone several hundred miles."**

**Now a female spoke. "Are you sure she didn't get these injuries while she was on the road?"**

**"No, Jamie. There were words burned into her...it was horrible."**

**Wisteria, looking up, could barely see the light washing over the window sill. She watched as a readheaded girl leaned out of the window and looked out into the night. Wisteria held her breath, hoping the girl would not look down where she was clearly visible, but the girl did not, only turned back into the other room. "Well, she couldn't have gotten far, Jeff. Did she say what her name was?"**

**"She called herself Wisteria."**

**She heard the boy snort. "Nice choice. No wonder this girl got beat up." There was a sound of something getting smacked, and the boy cried out. "Hey, what was that for?"**

**"For being an insensitive jerk, LeBeau." The girl called Jamie could be heard moving farther into the room. "Com'on, Ben. We gotta look for her. You wanna help, Jeff?"**

**"No. I better stay here in case she comes back."**

**"Good idea."**

**They wouldn't find her. They wouldn't...she lay there in the falling rain and felt the fatigue running through her. She was even too tired to move as another wave of fear washed through her when she heard a voice whisper in her mind..._in her mind!_...it sounded like the girl's...Jamie's...voice. **

**.:Don't be afraid. Stay there. We're coming to get you.:.**

**Coming to get her? Get her _where?_ Wisteria struggled to her feet and lurched off down the alleyway, moving slowly and slipping once in the mud. She didn't trust these people, whoever they were. She had to get away from there.**

**A little way down the alleyway, she felt someone grab her mouth and hands from behind and pull her into another dark corner. "Shh..." The person who was pressed up against her whispered. "Com'on. I know where yeh can go, mate. They won' find yeh there." A girl's voice whispered in her ear, and she felt herself lifting from the ground. Part shock and part fatigue caused her to loose conscience.

* * *

**

Dani frowned, still thinking of whatever Wisteria had babbled as she left the room. Were her eyes decieving her, or did her friend look a little paler than usual? Like, in fright?

No. Wisteria was never afraid. She was often angry, always brave, sometimes condescending, but never afraid...well, maybe that was too much. Someone had to be afraid of something at some point.

But of a _lightbulb?_

There was a notebook that Dani didn't recognize lying on Wisteria's bed. It didn't look like one of her old school books, plus it was summer. No school, so why would Wisteria drag out her stuff?

Dani flipped through it, finding pages after pages of Wisteria writings and drawings...drawings of crude and horrible faces, twisted with cruelty and malice yet depicted with such description and detail that they looked real. As if they could leap off the pages. But mainly there was writing. Pages of it.

She thought about sitting down and reading it, but was interrupted when the phone rang.

"Hello? Xavier's School For Gifted Youngsters. Danielle Reynolds speaking." Dani answered cheerfully, but quickly slammed the phone down once the voice on the other end had said all she needed to hear. She ran downstairs, intent on getting the Proffessor and speeding in the Xvan to get to the hospital.

What the hell had that girl done to herself now?


	8. Marks

**Author's Note:**

**StarStar16:** Yes, well...I answered for Jamie as best I could. I don't keep your characters in my head. And how'd I do in this one? Answer me! All of your situations will be put in later. I hope. No promises, but semi promises are okay. Okay? Okay. Good! Good.

**Turtle: **How was it informative? But sorry this update took so long. I spent the night with my best friend. And random other stuff happened.

* * *

Dani was in slight shock as she walked into the room containing Wisteria. She looked over her friend. Never had she seen Wisteria look so...frail. There was a deep gash above her eye and half of her face was off color. Several ribs had been taped and her head had been bandanged. Wisteria had suffered two concusions, a broken arm, two broken ribs, and various bruises.

According to the police, they could only draw this conclusion based on the what came of the wreck. The car was tottalled, and the driver of the pickup had been seriously injured in the collision. He was just down the hall, and in no position to talk of what had happened. Wisteria hadn't been conscience since impact. They thought that Wisteria had fallen asleep while driving, causing her to drive the car to faster speeds and float into the wrong lane at the same time traffic flowed over the hill and a head on collision occured. The car had been smashed in on the front, hit at an angle, and fishtailed into a ditch, where the steering wheel plus the air bag had cut into Wisteria's face and caused her to become unconscience and suffer head injuries. They had her on heart monitor, slow IV drip, and nurse check every half hour. But there was nothing else they could do until she woke up. It wasn't like she was in Intensive Care or anything.

But still.

Dani stepped closer to the bed and surveyed her friends face, calm and impassive. She shook her head slowly in disgust. "Why do you always, always, always...do these things?"

No answer. For once no witty comeback, no roll of the eyes and angry sigh, no muttering something about going off to the dangeroom. Just...silence.

She had seen Wisteria knocked out before. She couldn't count how many times Wisteria had shown up in the medical level of the Institute by force, with various cuts or bruises or breakages...but this was the first actual hospital trip. This was the one time that it hadn't been an at home treatment...and for some reason, it felt like Dani's fault, because less than an hour and a half ago Wisteria had been complaining about a faulty lightbulb. Now she was in a hospital, and Dani could do nothing to help her.

She had already called Rowan and Bain. They were supposed to get over there as soon as Ben picked Rowan up and Ben got off from work. The Proffessor was talking with the doctors and policemen. Dani sighed, wishing she didn't have to be alone with this...this...silence.

This thing that wasn't Wisteria.

* * *

**Wisteria woke up again in what looked to be a broken down apartment building room. The carpet had weird spots on it from what looked like discolored stains in shades of reds or browns. The blinds and windows were broken or none existant. And in the corner of the room sat a girl with long black hair and black sunglasses, pale skin, a black trench coat over a black tee and jeans, and combat boots. She twiddled her thumbs and whistled, then looked over at Wisteria as she sat up slowly, painfully.**

**" 'Ello, mate. Welcome to the world o' the livin'." Her accent sounded British, Cockney almost. The girl swung her feet up to atop her desk and continued looking at Wisteria. "Yeh were in a tigh' spot back there. Them Xmen ain' the ones yeh wanna trus', an' they like bloody hounds, or sommat. Gonna find yeh for long, I 'magine, if they're aimin'."**

**Wisteria blinked slowly at the girl and shook her head, wondering what she was talking about. Xmen? What were the Xmen? Who was this girl and what was she blabbering about? Wisteria slowly and painfully rose to her feet, clutching at her ribs for a second and feeling sick to her stomach, as if she needed to throw up and didn't have anything to throw up. The girl just smirked.**

**"Shake it off, mate. Yeh're doin' better than sommat the others weh've found." She grinned. "In fac', yeh're the firs' weh've found with that bloody burn mark, or what the hell it is. Figure it's the same blokes, though. Mutant haters bea' yeh up? They been jumpin' random muties on the streets."**

**Wisteria still shook her head slowly. "Jumped...I...I wasn't jumped off the streets."**

**Arachne shrugged. "Well, no matter. Yeh got the build of a figh'er. I can tell. Always ha' been able teh." She looked at Wisteria. "Yeh got a job, love? Weh've got good money for markers. Yeh dish ou' the bodies, we dish out the cash. Jus' no charlie smiles, alrigh'? Slicin' throats is too obvious."**

**She didn't exactly understand all of what was going on, but money is what she needed. She couldn't think exactly straight yet, but whatever her plans were going to be, she was going to need money. She had killed before, and it didn't matter any more to her.**

**There was a flash of blood in her mind, a gun shot and those piercing blue eyes glaring at her. She looked up at the girl. "What's your name?"**

**"Arachne. Yeh?"**

**"Wisteria." She paused. "I'll take some jobs. But two conditions."**

**Arachne's eyebrows appeared above her sunglasses. "I don' normally take conditions from rookies, bu' I'm curious. Wha' yeh got, Wist?"**

**"One, I want all human marks. No mutants. Two, I want you to tell me where I can find physcisian that won't ask many questions."**

**Arachne's pale lips stretched into a smirk. "Tha' I can make yeh a deal for. An' I got jus' the place."

* * *

**

**Nearly two weeks had passed in her healing slowly, taking each day to do rigorous exercises to build up strength and some small exercises to try and train her strange powers. That last part had been the hardest...she hadn't hardly made any progress. But it was coming. It would happen in good time. **

**Most of Wisteria's wounds had finally disappeared or turned into scars. Wisteria was gaining some weight little at a time, but Arachne still shook her head at how little she slept and ate. "We may be thievin' lot, Wist," Arachne would always begin. "Bu' we look ou' for each other. No need teh starve."**

**Wisteria did it only because if she ate more than she had back in that cell, she felt sick, and if she slept she had nightmares, or she couldn't tolerate the cot and had to move to the floor. All the space was strange, but this marked a monumental day. Arachne had finally declared her healthy enough to hunt. After days of not being allowed any combat, she felt like the machine she knew she was. She knew they had trained her to kill and not think about it, but not causing pain or not feeling it made her feel...dead. Useless.**

**Today's mark was a rapist who had pissed off his victim's father. His victim's father was Damien Vaughn, and his daughter, even though she didn't know she was related to him, was not to be touched. So the guy had to die. Wisteria was surprised she had gotten such a high profiled kill, but when Vaughn had seen her looking up files on the kid, trying to find out every angle of his life and a way to actually _hunt_ him, not just kill him, he had smiled.**

**"Arachne, take note." He pointed to Wisteria. "This girl is a true killer."**

**And she was.**

**Eric Miller would die before sundown, but he would feel terror before he did. Wisteria slipped a gun into the pocket of some old jeans she had ripped off a thrift store the other day while stealing from several stores in order to build a wardrobe. Arachne had had to help her. She had never stolen before, only killed.**

**She tied her black highlighted into a bun and let a couple of strands hang down. Looking out of the window, she stepped out to ledge and looked below her two stories. It would be best to climb down the fire escape, never attempt to jump off it.**

**Wisteria flipped over the bar, catching it in one hand to slow her fall for a second and then landing cat like in the street below. She did stunts like that just to build reflexes. She began walking slowly through the city of New York and glared at anyone who gave her odd looks for her skin. It was important she keep her mind on what she was doing. Eric Miller lived on the outskirts of town, near Bayville. He was quaterback of the football team of Bayville High. He feared closed in spaces and dark areas. His girlfriend was head of the cheerleading squad. His victim had been Keiara Fields, who had gone missing as a result, unknown as to whether she was dead or alive. He lived with a suicidal mother and a father who suffered from alchohol adiction. His hangout was the local bar where they never checked for IDs...Jeff's rival.**

**Yes, she had seen Jeff from a distance since that night she had escaped him. Jeff ran a bar on the line between New York and Bayville, and competed with _The Closet_, a bar that stocked many strippers, unhealthy living quarters for the poor traveler, and didn't care what age you were to drink as long as you had the money. **

**The walk to _The Closet _would be too far, but Wisteria wasn't planning on walking all the way to the bar. She stopped by a red convertable and smirked, crawling into the car and hotwiring it, driving off as she heard someone yelling behind her, "Hell no, that's my car! Get the hell back here, you bitch. HEY!" But Wisteria just floored it. For a moment she thought the car was out of gas because it felt like it was being tugged back, but then it sped on, and she went on to _The Closet.

* * *

_**

**Upon entering the establishment, she immeadiately sighted Eric. He was completely smashed, flirting with one of the strippers, his curly brown hair falling into his eyes. Wisteria sat right by him and lowered her lashes immeadiately, laughing at some incoherent drunken joke he had said. All that happened was he turned toward her and grinned a lopsided grin. If he was to survive till morning, he would remember anything that had happened the night before. But he wouldn't survive.**

**"Hey..." He began, the drunken slur obvious. "Buy ya a drink?" **

**Wisteria nodded, adopting a falsely high, flirty and stupid voice. "Sure, that would, like be great!" As the whiskey shot in front of her she didn't take a sip. Even if she didn't expect being drugged, she didn't want to be drunk during this. As he emptied his drink, she smiled and tapped him. "Like, how about I, like, return the favor?" She hated using this voice. It was retarded. But if fit the part. She waved over the bartender, got him to pour a whiskey, and as she palmed a white powder quickly into the whiskey as she slid it toward him, he drank deeply. She watched for a few moments, and waited for the effects to kick in. **

**It was only a few seconds until he asked her to come upstairs where the boarders were. She accepted. It was all part of the plan. Completely. When he got up there she allowed him to throw her against the bed, even though her back screamed in pain from where some of the whip weals still were. As soon as he had her pinned, he started gagging, and she smirked, throwing him off with ease. She stood over him for a moment and spoke in a calm tone.**

**"The agent that your experiencing right now comes from a nice little plant in south Africa. It causes the throat to contrict and mind to hallucinate, especially in dark or closed in enviroments." She turned off the lights and he began to gasp. "It continued until within the hour the throat has swollen completely and your supply of air is cut off, causing you to suffocate."**

**With that, she walked out of the room and closed the door, making sure that she had his wallet, and class ring still attached to his finger. That had been easy enough, since he was thrashing around on the floor and she could cut off a finger without leaving prints on the body or the room. They wouldn't find her prints on anything. Only her drink downstairs.**

**Besides, Vaughn owned the police. They wouldn't turn her in.

* * *

**

**Wisteria exited the bar and ducked only just in time as a fist swung in her direction. An angry redhead, the same one that had been leaning out the window the other night and had spoken in her mind, glared at her, fist raised ready to swing again. "Give. Me. Back. My. Car!" **

**Wisteria held up the keys to the car. "Fine, take 'em." She tossed them to the girl and started walking off. **

**"Woah, woah, woah, bitch, I'm not done with you. What the hell gives you the right to take my ride anyways? Just because it's not easy being green doesn't mean you get to take people's CHERRY RED MUSTANG!" The girl started shouting as Wisteria was moving farther away. **

**"I take what I want." Wisteria said in an even tone over her shoulder. Suddenly she couldn't walk anymore and the redhead was storming up to her, looking absolutely furious, like she wanted to deck her, but stopping when she examined her face. **

**"Hey...wait...you're that...that girl!"**

**"That's a new one. 'That girl'. Catchy." Wisteria said sarcastically, still wondering why she couldn't move her feet.**

**"Oh, I stopped you with telekinesis." Jamie said offhandedly, as if answering her thought, and then suddenly Wisteria could move again. "I can do that and...hey, where are you going?" Wisteria had moved right past her.**

**"Get out of my head, and stay out." Wisteria said angrily as she moved into the darkness.

* * *

**

"She looks like Jamie did." Ben was blubbering, close to tears. "After that accident. In that car. Remember? She got hurt to. Same car. She loved that car." He had been blabbering like this for a while, but Dani, Bain, and Rowan had just let him. "She wrecked the car. She wrecked the car. She wrecked the car..."

"SHE WRECKED HERSELF!" Dani yelled, turning on Ben. "Forget about the stupid car!"

"All of you SHUT UP!" Rowan was on his feet before he could stop himself. He felt a fury coursing through him and didn't understand why. They all turned in surprise as they heard a groan from the bed.

"Seriously...you're giving me a headache."


	9. Magnus

**

* * *

Have you ever wished for fire**

**To burn away your mind's restraints?**

**Have you ever been for hire**

**Or suffered those cheap complaints?**

**Could it be that I don't want to save you anymore?**

**Could it be that we don't have what it takes?**

**---_Pig, _Seether

* * *

**

Wisteria sat up hesitatingly, wincing slightly but pride clearly keeping her from moving a hand to the side where her ribs screamed in pain. Dani rushed to her and almost hugged her with the relief of Wisteria waking up again, but seemed to think better of it before putting Wisteria in more pain. Instead, she straightened and frowned. Rowan sat down again, but still wore a scowl.

At any moment she expected her friends to begin on the lectures, and the talks of how reckless she had been…and some of it was probably true. Actually, she expected all of it to come from Ben and Dani, and they looked ready to open their mouths, but ironically, Rowan opened his mouth first.

"Are you insane?" He spat in an accusing tone.

"Quite possibly, but as far as I know, I remain lucid." She replied calmly, but this just seemed to infuriate him further. His face darkened with anger, and some spark in his eye seemed close to concern.

"You're on restriction. But instead of staying inside, you decide to take the car…no, let me rephrase that. You decide to take a car that does not belong to you, drive at unknown speeds down a dirt and gravel road, and then on to the badly paved asphalt before the interstate, on very little sleep and God knows what else, fall asleep at the wheel, and almost get yourself killed, not to mention an innocent. You must be very proud."

"Is the innocent human?"

"Yes, but what does that--?"

"Is he dead?"

"No."

"Then I'm not proud." She watched Rowan's face darken even further and turned to see Dani, Ben, and Bain scowling as well. It wasn't like they hadn't heard similar comments from her before, and she couldn't understand why they were surprised now. It would remain an enigma.

She snatched an IV out of her arm in one fluid motion and began to get out of the bed, but Dani put a hand on her shoulder. "What are you doing?"

"Getting out of here."

"Oh, no you're not. The doctor said you need to be here for at least 48 more---"

"The doctors don't know anything. I'm going." Wisteria started to get up again, but Rowan stood, his hand behind his back and some light dancing off the wall behind him. Wisteria was fixed on whatever could be making the source of light for a moment, but then caught the look on Rowan's face. Murderous…she had never thought those black eyes could be so full of anger when normally they were laughing at everything. Rowan was never serious.

"You're not leaving this room. We are going to call the nurse, she is going to reinsert the IV, you're going to rest, and you will do so until the doctor releases you. You will if I have to knock you out for you to accomplish it."

"You couldn't knock me out."

"Try me." He glared for a moment, but Bain stepped forward.

"Um…Rowan, could I see you in the hallway?" Without a further word, he grabbed Rowan's free-hanging arm and pulled him into the hallway. The hand behind Rowan's back was empty.

Bain gestured madly in the hallway, partly from exasperation. "What was that about?"

"What?" Rowan said calmly, feeling less angry in the hallway.

"That! You had a fire ball in your hands, Rowan. You looked ready to char her."

"That's because I was." Bain frowned and sighed, running his fingers through his dark brown hair. Bain's eyes met Rowan's again.

"What's gotten into you lately?"

Rowan's immediate thought was 'her', but he did not say that aloud. He sighed and tucked a strand of his shoulder length black hair behind his ear. "I don't know."

"Me either." Bain said, shaking his head. "Me either."

* * *

**Wisteria studied the map she had set up for herself in the main chambers that contained the bounty hunters working for Vaughn. The rest were in the makeshift rec room, probably getting into a fight, breaking more bones, setting themselves up to be out of work and be put onto grunt duty, such as washing floors, dishes, ect. This was like a team…Arachne would say a family, but Wisteria would never stoop so low as to dub something or a group of some ones that. **

**She had no family.**

**She stood alone, next to her cot, which she rarely used, used to the hardness of a solid stone floor. Her fingers traced a river, and then across Texas, off into California, not having a clue what she was thinking or doing. All she knew was that she had to find the ones that did this, the place where she had been, and make sure they all died. If any other place like her's existed, she would destroy it, or if more than one, them, methodically, and this would never happen again. **

**Wisteria jumped when someone spoke behind her, having thought the entire time she was alone. "Arachne tells me you stare for hours at that."**

**She whirled and saw Vaughn, sitting on one of the cots, smirking. Wisteria did not respond. Perhaps she did. Perhaps she didn't. Time was not of the essence, so besides knowing the day and week, she didn't keep up with it. **

**Vaughn continued, obviously not having waited for her answer. "She tells me you study it, read old newspapers from nearly two years ago, look up people that are obscure, and never seem to turn up much, spend long periods of time looking into apparently nothing. What are you looking for, Wisteria?"**

"**A mark."**

"**We have provided those, haven't we?" Wisteria nodded, and he smiled. "But not the one you're looking for." He didn't wait for her acknowledgement that the statement was true. He interlaced his fingers and leaned his elbows on his knees. "You are a strange case, Wisteria. We've had natural marksmen before, but not like you, and rarely female. You are methodical, resourceful, you research your subject, you hunt without mercy…you prefer to use slower methods and hand to hand fighting or weapons rather than employing your powers…you are like a machine. My own personal killing machine."**

**Had she cared anymore, that would have registered as an insult, but she didn't care. He continued on. "But you also seem to pick your victims out. You refuse to kill without regards to race, mutant or human. Only human marks…and you make requests, something no new marksman has ever done. 'No mutants'. 'Information on government or underground military operations'. 'No women or children, of either race, unless in a circumstance I deem worthy'. What makes you think you can make such requests?"**

"**You need my business. I can take it elsewhere."**

"**What makes you think we wouldn't kill you rather than let you leave?"**

"**You killing me is an improbability. I don't consider it." She said it in all seriousness, but he smirked wider and laughed, as if she had said it for his amusement, then continued in his assessment of her. **

"**You don't socialize with the others, you hardly sleep, if you are not working or training you are deep in thought and not to be disturbed…may I ask a question?"**

"**You're going to anyways."**

"**Which do you kill for, Wisteria? Business or pleasure? Is it a personal vendetta or a job alone?" **

"**Both." She started to walk out of the room, because this conversation seemed pointless. But right before she left, he spoke again.**

"**As of yet you live here and kill for us, but are not on the permanent team. Is there any chance in you changing that fact?"**

"**Not much." Wisteria left the room and headed down the flights of stairs, headed nowhere again, for no particular reason, except to escape incessant questions. Wasn't that always her goal?**

**She had studied the old newspapers, looked to see if she could figure out the timeline. October 21st, 2001, they take her away, 13 years old that very day. October 21st 2003, she escapes. October 27th, 2003, she joins up with Arachne and begins to build up her strength. Now, nearly 2 weeks later, almost in the dead of winter, she had almost caught her life up, realized where everyone had been where, followed government up to that point, and began to plot out searching points. **

**It could take her the rest of her life, but she would make sure this never happen again.**

**Wisteria started to walk down the street alone again, ignoring the stares of others who found her skin strange and wondered why the green girl looked so furious and drawn to within herself.**

**The park was the usual destination, a good place for thought.

* * *

**

**She stopped on the edges of the lawns that led to the midst of the park, staring at a growing congregation, that seemed to have some invisible line drawn between them, two moved toward the front. A man that had a metallic helmet encircling his head and a red cape that billowed in the wind—strange choice in fashion—and a man that was handicapped by a wheelchair spoke, the first rather loudly, the other in a gentler tone. Wisteria leaned against the trunk of a tree to watch, realizing that had it not been getting into the twilight hours, and was at a time when the park was busier, this would have been a stranger sight. But Bayville Park, unlike Central Park, was vacated along the line of 5:00p.m. by most of its visitors.**

**"Magnus, you have to realize that your students at Bayville cannot continue to cause such destruction as they do. They will eventually be arrested or expelled from Bayville High if they act in this way." The man in the wheelchair was the first one she heard speak. She noticed that the girl who's car she had stolen the other day was standing behind him, along with a man sporting a visor, a boy with reddish brown hair wearing sunglasses, a girl with black and white hair and what looked to be a tiger's tail, and a tall, muscular man that she could barely see the face of…dark, hair covered, and looking ready to kill.**

**Magnus smirked. "Charles, what have they done that they shouldn't continue? Perhaps the petty thefts could have been avoided, had Mystique felt the need to stop them, but retaliating against a group of humans that threatened them? Using the gifts given to them, as is their right, in plain view?"**

**Charles spoke again, and she could hear the frown in his voice. "I did not get many of the details of the fight, Magnus, but as I understood it, it started as a verbal thing and the first physical attack came from your team, which you need to learn to control. How do you ever expect mankind to accept us if you continue to attack them?"**

**"I don't expect them to accept us, Charles. That is my entire point." The group behind Magnus nodded in agreement, consisting of a teenage boy with white-blond hair slicked back, a boy who looked a bit sickly and tended to slump or crouch low to the ground at intervals, a man with reddish hair that seemed to have to cans of gasoline attached to his back, and a woman with blue skin coloring and long red hair, wearing a tight fitting white skirt and halter top.**

**"I don't believe you understand the gravity of the situation. A girl was almost killed by—" Charles began, but Magnus interrupted him.**

**"No, I don't believe you understand, Charles. It was a clear cut case of self defense, and had Lance not acted, that girl would have called the police, and more lives would have been lost that day. Humans are obsolete, Charles, and one day you will see that—"**

**"To hell it was self defense!" The girl called Jamie spoke up finally. Wisteria had wondered what had kept the redhead silent for so long. "You weren't even there, Magneto, and guess what? I was! Lance was just being an ass—"**

**"Red…" The gruff looking man warned as Jamie cussed, but she waved him off.**

**"Shut up, Logan—and, she wasn't even doing anything until the football players started talking about that stupid article making fun of mutants, and Lance got pissed. She should have called the police, no way our school administration could have handled that fight!" From what she could see of Jamie's face, she looked ready to slap the man in the helmet. He merely seemed amused at her.**

**"I see…well, as interesting as that all seems, I trust my own people above you."**

**"Yeah, because you're an idiot." She didn't bother to mumble it either, though the man in the visor looked at her, and she was sure that if his eyes were visible, they would be telling her to shut up. Wisteria preferred she did to. Magnus…or Magneto, as Jamie had called him…began to move away, and his crowd followed him. He spoke over his shoulder.**

**"It was nice having this little discussion with you, Charles. Keep in touch."**

**Wisteria watched as they left, marking their direction and keeping her eyes trained. She decided that later she would follow him, find out more about this Magnus character, and maybe she could unravel the mysteries of why this man Charles and Magnus had such a quarrel. As to Jamie, it just seemed that Wisteria could do nothing but run into that red head. She groaned aloud when Jamie turned and spotted her, and then tapped Charles' shoulder.**

**"Hey, that's that girl I told you about." Wisteria managed to make out from her lip movement. She didn't need another confrontation from this girl…she had gotten her car back, what more did she want? Wisteria started a light and casual pace toward the direction that Magnus had taken, hoping that this time her legs would fail to freeze in place as they had before. And they did fail to, but she found the gruff looking man coming her direction, and then eventually falling into pace with her. At first she ignored him, then she cleared her throat.**

**"People can get arrested for stalking." She announced as if to no one, and saw him raise an eyebrow subtly.**

**"Well, if you invited me to walk with you, I wouldn't have to stalk."**

**"I don't feel in the mood to walk with anyone." She said disagreeably, and he sighed. **

**"Look kid, we just want to talk to you—"**

**"Interesting, but not interested. I've got places to be." She started off at a brisker pace, and used a portion of her powers she had recently developed…sinking into the ground and traveling through it, being able to rise again in distances as far as thirty to forty miles at this point, though she knew she could go further.**

**She emerged again when she knew she was on the edge of the park, and out of sight of the others, and began look for signs of where the others had gone. Tracking abilities worked better if you could go by smell, but she had no heightened scent. However, she could see where the boots the man Magnus had been wearing had left an indent in the grass before leaving the grass and going to the pavement. Shimmering flecks of metal littered the pavement, but they ended just as soon as they began, and there seemed to be no other signs of the ones she had been following.**

**Great. Now what?

* * *

**


	10. Vengeance

"A lot seems to have happened since our last meeting, Wisteria. This being only our second session, how have you managed to get in so much trouble?" Xavier seemed to have a hint of amusement in his voice as he spoke lightly, but his eyes betrayed the same concern he had had when he first questioned her about the accident. Her ribs were taped, but healing quickly. The cast on her arm was a hindrance that was almost unbearable. Not that she had gotten much training done in the past few days since her return from the hospital. Her every move was watched more carefully than before...sometimes by those that she thought she had killed long ago.

"Trouble has a knack for finding me." She replied smoothly, keeping the same neutral expression she always held around him. Psychics. Could a promise be trusted by one? Xavier had said that he would not read her mind unless under the most of extreme circumstances, but those eyes were so piercing...she felt them going through her.

"May I see the progress you have made in your notebook?"

"Doesn't that breach our agreement that you won't read it unless I want you to?" Wisteria said skeptically, her black tapered eyebrow lifting subtly.

He chuckled. "Not if you show me where you are. My eyes are failing, as is true of all old men, and your handwriting is so narrow, from what I've seen of it. I doubt I could read it from this distance." He waited as she held up the notebook, one of the fifty page sections gone. He nodded. "Quite a bit. At this rate, you won't be in here long."

"I plan on it."

He tilted his head to the side questioningly, fingertips pressed together in an interrogative manner. "Why do you still mistrust us, Wisteria?"

"What reason have you given me to trust you?"

He smiled, but there was a frown in his eyes. "We've provided shelter for you, free room and board, taken care of you in your times of need, and we want to help you through whatever ordeal you are suffering. We want you to be one of us, Wisteria. What will that take?"

Wisteria considered for a moment, staring at the reflection off the wood of Xavier's desk. "What do I want?..." Her eyes lifted, emeralds boring into him. "What I want, Professor, is a moment free from motives. That will not happen until all of my motives are completed."

Xavier kept his expression as calm as possible. "What are your motives?"

"Vengeance."

It was hard for him not to fight the alarm at the simply put statement. "Against whom?"

Wisteria smiled wickedly. "That's for me to know."

* * *

**The morning air was quiet, still, cool to the touch. Wisteria savored it as she continued to examine the riddle she had presented to herself some time back...who was Magnus? What was his quarrel with this Charles? She smirked and turned over the hourglass. It didn't matter at the moment. She had more pressing business to attend to. **

**Three weeks after her escape, she had found the first of her targets in a long list of evils that must be destroyed. The guard in mind had disappeared nearly a year since the beginning of her sentence. And she had found him. A quiet, suburban house in the country, far from the bustle of New York City. Richard Turner. 34, a wife and two children, one child a girl of eight and another a baby boy of two sweet years. Their kitchen was a homemaker's paradise. Beautiful. This wife of his, Eleanor, must be something of a perfectionist. She would find out soon enough, would she not?**

**The hourglass was turned over yet again. It coincided with an alarm clock up the stairs. The blaring sounds would have woken Wisteria in an instant, and yet one, two, three sounds speed by, and still no footsteps on the stairs...apparently they were still wrapped up in whatever night they had had before. She really didn't need to know...she had arrived only as dawn broke.**

**Finally she heard footsteps on the stairs and two sleepy voices speaking quietly. As the loving couple came around the bend, wrapped in each others arms, and sharing a fulfilling kiss, Wisteria pulled a face and waited for them to turn. Which they did, gawking at the fact that a green skinned girl was sitting quietly in their kitchen. She flashed them a sweet smile. "Good morning. I apologize for anything I may be interrupting, but I couldn't decide what was a decent time to drop by." She turned the hourglass over again. The sand slipped through the narrow glass tunnel. Finally Richard found his voice.**

**"If you don't leave immeadiately, I will--"**

**"Call the police, Richard?" She laughed in a low tone. "Oh, please. Do. We can both be sitting in a jail cell tonight."**

**Eleanor looked up innocently into her husband's face, fear etched in her features. "What's going on?"**

**"Oh, so you haven't told her?" Wisteria began shaking her head in a mocking manner. "Secrets in this relationship." She propped her boots up onto the table, leaning back in the hardwood chair and intertwining her fingers, acting as if this was her home, instead of theirs. "Please, be seated."**

**They seemed shocked, but maybe they could see the determination in her eyes. Maybe they could see that she wasn't leaving, that there was something to be accomplished here. Something dangerous. They sat after a moment or two, and Richard looked at her with a look of fear and recognition. She smiled sweetly, and suddenly there was a gasp from both occupants as vines strong and thick wound around both of their chairs and their bodies, tieing them to the chair. "I want your full attention. And don't worry about the little ones. They will stay asleep for quite a few more hours..."**

**"What did you do to them?" Eleanor gasped, her eyes a mixture of fear and anger. Richard's face darkened.**

**"Calm down, Mom. They will be alright. It's only a sedative." Wisteria stood and paced slowly toward the kitchen, opening the refridgerator and pulling out a bottle of champagne. Good thing they had one. It was perfect for the occasion. "In fact, it would be worse for them if they were here to witness this conversation. They're only kids, after all."**

**Richard started to reply with a classic plea line. "Please, whatever you want, money--"**

**"I don't want your money, Richard. After all that time we spent together--" Memories flashed before her of his face in a sea of guards, all exploiting her. "--you seem to know very little of my wants and needs."**

**"I've never met you be--"**

**"Don't deny our connection, Richard. How much would that hurt me?" She turned and smiled again. "You...um...did tell her about us, didn't you?" Wisteria examined Eleanor's face. "Obviously not. Well, I had better break the ice."**

**She fingered the cork on the champagne bottle and turned her back on them, not even seeing the kitchen around her, the smile faded from her face. She wasn't even sure if she was speaking loud enough for them to hear. "You disappeared a year before my prison break, Richard. Don't worry, you were replaced. In more than one number.**

**"Perhaps I should back up for the benefit of your beautiful wife. **

**"You see, Eleanor, I was the lust meat for your wonderful husband, during what I'm sure was a job you knew nothing of. He worked for a so called benefecial group, "educating" mutants...but I didn't realize the "sex ed" was part of the program. I guess I didn't read the fine print on that kidnapee contract.**

**"He left about a year and three weeks ago, but you have to realize, I'm only estimating. They didn't give me any other calender besides the usual stimulating daily beatings. Oh, and the times we had together...I guess I don't remember much of the fun of them. Half the time I was partly unconcious, or drugged, or in two much pain for it to be much fun for me...but it must have been, because the actions were repeated often." She turned around to examine the shocked face of the formerly happy wife. "I'm sorry...did I make some startling revelations?" Wisteria shrugged. **

**"It happens."**

**Richard seemed to be struggling for his voice. "I quit that job. I realized I couldn't continue it. I'm sorry for your pain, but that's no longer who I am."**

**"Oh, but that's where you're wrong." Wisteria sighed. "You can't change who you are inside. You can never get rid of that part of you, Richard. That's who you became...just like you turned me into this. You took away something from me. Something important. And, yes, the rape was only a small point of what I'm talking about.**

**"And since you took something from me, you owe me."**

**His face was ashen." So what are you going to do?"**

**She turned and smiled. "I'm going to send you to a higher judge than me." A giant thorn impaled him from behind, and Eleanor screamed as blood trickled down the hole that now showed in his throat. Wisteria thought that the lump she now felt at the trickle of blood would be a sense of overwhelming pleasure at the death of someone who had caused her so much pain, but all she felt was heightened anger, heightened pain, more bloodlust. She pushed the emotions back behind a facade of an emotionless face and popped the cork on the bottle, watching the fix come out of the champagne and filling two glasses. "Now it's time to celebrate."**

**Eleanor, who before looked flushed and just at fainting's door, smirked. "Absolutely." Wisteria's eyebrow lifted in surprise, but not as much as her eyes widened when Eleanor's skin began to turn a blue color, and the nightgown she was wearing changed into a flowing black skirt with a skull belt and black midriff top. Red hair flowed from the previous blonde, and the woman that she had known to be called Mystique the other night smiled and reached for the glass. Wisteria turned, startled as she heard a slow clapping from behind her, and saw Magnus enter the open kitchen door.**

**"Bravo..." He said smoothly. "An excellent preformance."

* * *

**

Wisteria had barely begun to step out of the doorway, feeling as though she would rather be anywhere else on the face of the earth...sans one place to where she vowed she would never go again. Xavier had stopped drilling her over her feelings for vengeance after that conversation, but she could still feel it etched into his face, concern for her, for her mental psyche...she was _not_ insane. But she couldn't think of what had made her bring that up. Hadn't she promised herself she would never bring that up?

She was almost out of his office, and he was bidding her goodbye, when she had to stop in the doorway, staring at a chair in the living room where she could see the top of a bloody head, and a thorn piercing the back of the chair where his throat would be. A voice filled the room and mingled with the Professor's.

"I'll see you again next wee--"

"_Is this what justice is?" _

Wisteria backed up and thought about slamming Xavier's door behind her, but didn't. She was suddenly aware her hands were covered with blood. Fresh blood. There was blood caked dry under her fingernails.

"Wisteria? Is there something else you nedded to talk about? I'm always here if you--"

_I can't be seeing this. I can't be seeing this. These people are dead, my hands are clean, it was done in justice, they deserved to die. They asked for it._

Wisteria's breath was laboring and she could tell Xavier had come closer to her, having stopped in mid sentence as he was trying to console her. "Wisteria?" She had closed her eyes, trying to concentrate on her breathing and not on all that she was seeing in front of her, flickering visions that couldn't be real. Yet even when she closed her eyes, the whispers were still there.

_MP0013. _

_"Emotions are a weakness that will kill you in battle once you are sent out to destroy the most evil of your kind. Your race is evil, it must be destroyed, and you are one of the priveledged one who must put the mutants down. To do this, rid yourself of emotions."_

_"You know right from wrong, Ari. Always do the right thing. Now that you're young and later when you're old."_

_"The lie of right and wrong has been instilled in you, mutant, but it, like everything else, will be taken away."_

_I am Arianne Devon._

_"You'll be a biological robot."_

_I've got to break this._

_"Terminate them."_

_Dead eyes mean nothing._

_"Your fault."_

_My fault. Can't be mine..._

_.:.Wisteria? Can you hear me? Can you...?.:._

As the voices became too much, she thought she heard the Professor's. Then she fainted.


	11. From One Cell To Another

**Author's Note:** I apologize for taking so long just to post another chapter for this story...or any of my stories for that matter. I had a hard time with my computer for a long time, and personal matters kept me away from writing. But I hope to do better in the future, and for the few of you who (possibly) still wish to follow this story, thank you very much for waiting and being so patient. This is a rather long chapter, to make it up to you.

* * *

"**That was quite a show you performed." Magnus sat elegantly down, throwing his cape behind his shoulder pompously. "Very theatrical, for simple killing. Can't anyone ever perform revenge without the usual speeches?"**

**Wisteria regained composure rather quickly and set a haughty tone. "I think I was afforded my moment."**

"**Oh, buy your moments as you like, as long as it suits your ends." He interlocked his fingers and tilted back his head in order to appraise her, which seemed an action that was becoming increasingly common. Wisteria found it somewhat annoying. "How long have you been within the city, my dear?"**

**"What's it to you?"**

**"Only that I am wondering how I missed you. I am ashamed Charles and his sparse band of altruists knew of you first."**

**She was starting to get the sinking feeling that her entire act of vengeance had been staged. It relit the fire in her eyes. "I'd rather none of you knew of me."**

**"Now, now, don't be like that. Don't you want to hear what I have to offer?"**

**"The newest fashions in metal helmets, I'm guessing."**

**"Charming." He intoned darkly, his brow furrowing beneath the metal. He raised the helmet off his head to reveal a full head of silvering hair, peppered by strands of black. Thick eyebrows offset charcoal eyes, set deep on opposite sides of a long, protruding nose. Thin lips curled into a permanent, condescending sneer before moving on to the rest of the man. Magnus, or Magneto as she had heard him referred to as, was obviously in his elderly years, but nowhere near the definition of an elder. He was in peak physical condition, and his bearing betrayed he thought himself a man of twenty with the wisdom of centuries.**

**Wisteria, by comparison, seemed a wraith of a child.**

**Mystique, however, now that she was on hand for closer inspection, bore all the beauty and deadliness of a viper. Her low cut halter, which stretched tightly across her full upper body, coupled with a chiseled torso and an equally tight skirt only served to reinforce the impression of a slut. However promiscuous her sexual life, Wisteria knew the body of a fighter, and thought her chosen attire appropriate for distraction during battle. Mystique shot her a pretty smile, thought somewhat alarming, and spoke in a surprisingly husky voice. "You'll want to listen to this. It's interesting."**

**"So is Animal Planet." Wisteria shrugged.**

**Magnus leaned forward and tapped the table. "You have a great deal of raw power, my dear, if it could be harnessed and controlled. But your major strength lies in your vindictive anger. Such powerful fury and underlying hate I have rarely seen.**

**"I didn't think it was underlying."**

**He continued as if she hadn't spoken. "Your potential is enormous, child. It could prove limitless."**

**"Your point?"**

**"I would like to help you reach that potential. I would like to ask you to join me."**

**Wisteria grabbed the champagne bottle and, ignoring the glass, chugged from it for a moment. "Join you in what?" She finally said after she had clinked the bottle down on the table and wiped her mouth.**

**Magneto visibly winced at her lack of class, but continued. "Join me in my fight for mutant kind."**

**"I fight for me. What do I care for mutant kind?"**

**"You are mutant kind." This speech seemed rehearsed, but she listened. "We are all brethren in a fight against those who would oppose us. A war is brewing between humans and mutants. We, The Brotherhood of Mutants, ensure that mutants will win that war. **

**She smirked. "So, you kill humans?"**

**"It is not so simple, but there are human casualties."**

**She considered it for a moment, then decided she would still have access to all the same files Damien Vaughn had let her see before. All her work as a bounty hunter was free lance. This group seemed organized enough.**

**"You give trial runs for membership?"**

**"Certainly."**

**Wisteria raised the champagne bottle in mock salute. "I'll drink to that." She washed some more alcohol down her throat. Her head buzzed gently and a tingling sensation ran through her body.

* * *

**

Immediately upon waking, Wisteria felt her body tense up. Nothing unusual about that. Next upon stabilizing herself for whatever she may see, her mind tensed.

.::. What are you afraid of, Wisteria? .::.

Her emerald eyes snapped open instantly, and she sat up with little difficulty. "I've told you before, Professor." She said quietly. "Stay out of my head." Wisteria avoided his gaze and stretched her limbs subtly. Everything was a little stiff.

Xavier continued to gaze at her calmly, his chin propped on folded hands, elbows resting on his knees. Wisteria winced when her fingers ran lightly over the side of her head and she located a knot. Her wrists ached inexplicably, as did her throat.

"What happened?"

"You suffered a mental blackout." It seemed as though his voice should not be as calm and steady as it was. "Your mind overloaded, and your body shut down as a result. You have been comatose for over two days as a result. I have had to work with you mentally to help you regain consciousness. Needless to say, I do not believe this is a breech to our agreement."

She steeled herself for him to say something about…whatever he may have seen while he prowled around her mind. But he said nothing. He just continued on with his synopsis of what had happened. "The injury you felt on the side of your head resulted when you first passed out and your head coincided with the doorway. Your friends are extremely worried about you. There were quite a few instances when we were afraid you would die."

Xavier sighed and wheeled himself toward a metal table where an open notepad lay. He scribbled down a few words, and then laid down his pen again. It was then she realized that she was not in her own room. Looking around, she recognized the place as the med lab. Not only the med lab, but one of the solitary rooms in the med lab. It made sense, considering all that Xavier had told her, but med labs were not the most comfortable hangouts for her. She attempted to rise completely, but found herself to weak to do it.

"I would prefer it if you stayed here for a while, Wisteria, until we are sure you are out of danger completely."

"I'm fine, Professor," she replied quietly, careful to keep the panic completely out of her voice.

"I don't believe that to be so, Wisteria." He turned and looked at her with saddened eyes. "I know you do not trust us, but all the injuries you have sustained lately, the accidents you have had…this mental overload did not come out of thin air, did it?"

She did not answer, and he continued on.

"I believe at the present you may be a danger to yourself. True to your wishes, I will not pry into your private life, unless absolutely necessary. But I warn you that you tread upon a hazardous path. Whatever it is you run from, it is catching up with you."

He moved closer toward her, and she met his eyes reluctantly. Those blue orbs seemed to be pleading. "Please, Wisteria. Tell me what it is."

She turned her head away from him and spoke in her normal voice. "I should be okay in a couple of days. It's probably just fatigue."

Xavier moved toward the door. "I'll have someone check on you every hour. And I will be here twice daily, to observe and to listen, should you choose to trust me with anything. Please, for your safety, stay here." For a moment, as he spoke, she saw the walls turn from metal to stone, with carvings deep within the slabs. A blink, and it was gone. She could see that the Professor had seen the panic in her face, but all was calm now.

He exited, and the moment she thought that he would be a good ways down the hall, she mustered her strength and fell to the floor. On shaky legs, she rose and made her way slowly toward the door. She tried the handle. Locked.

Sinking down against the wall next to the door, she began to shake. From one cell to another.

* * *

**Living with the Brotherhood was an experience in itself. Toad was an annoying piece of work, for one, and Avalanche thought himself God's gift to mutant.**

**The others there were a mutinous crew that all vied for the top spot, though they knew Magneto could knock them down easily, and second in command was too well filled by Mystique. So there were constantly changes in lieutenants. Only slightly less frequent were the changes of the third in command. This week, it happened to be Blob.**

**Once she had thoroughly scouted out the inner workings of this organization, Wisteria thoroughly intended to secure a permanent place as high in the ranks as she could be. But for now, she was busy with other things. Third in command would have to wait. More targets waited to be found out and killed.**

**Vaughn, she found out, was more than willing to let his killers become parts of other groups. In fact, Arachne often hung out around an organization called the Morlocks. Some had found their way into other Anti-human groups. Vaughn who was a human, shrugged it off as personal choice. He didn't really care who belonged to what, as long as they met the body count.**

**The other members of the Brotherhood took rising interest in their newest addition to the team, even though she took no interest in them. Twice, Sabertooth had tried to engage her in combat, to test her powers. Both times, Wisteria rose to the occasion and it ended in a stalemate, mainly because her heart wasn't in it.**

**But one thing that she did look forward too was a fight with the Xmen. Around the brotherhood hangouts, there were talked about with all the expectation of Christmas. It was all a matter of time until the "X jerks", as some of the younger members childishly referred to them as, showed up and tried to destroy them, sometimes when they hadn't done anything. And regaling tales of the fights was very popular around the hangouts.**

**"There was this one time I was fighting Storm." Toad told her excitedly one day. Wisteria backed away slightly to avoid his breath. "She was shooting lightning everywhere, and she nearly hit me several times…then I leaped off the building and shot my tongue out toward her face…the mucus hardened around her eyes and she couldn't see!"**

**"So she hit a copper vat." Pietro finished in a bored manner. "And knocked everyone unconscious. I thought father was going to kill him." Pietro turned his head from the TV he was watching and gave her a roguish grin. "Don't listen to a word he says. He only thinks he can fight well."**

**Toad leaped out of the room in a huff and could be heard muttering to himself the rest of the day if you neared his bedroom.**

**It wasn't long before the day when she did get to experience such a skirmish. Mystique had ordered that they attempt to steal a formula from a laboratory just south of Greenville, South Carolina. As usual, she didn't say what the formula did or what they were going to do with it. In the Brotherhood, you only followed orders. You never asked questions.**

**And Magneto handpicked her to lead a team into the lab. Pietro sulked the entire way over there, as they rode in metal spheres that Magneto had fashioned to transport them. Wisteria emerged from the cocoon with relief…tight spaces were never to her liking. **

**The security was very lax. It was almost a boring task. There were a few droids here and there that needed destroying, but beyond that they reached the inner lab with little to no trouble. Wisteria motioned for Lance and Pietro to guard the exits while she went to find the head scientists. There entrance had been a silent one, and he was bent intently over his work.**

**"Excuse me, sir." He turned around to face her, his face going to confusion. "But I was wondering if you might be so kind as to give me the plans to Project 14790?"**

**"That's…classified." He adjusted his glasses. "You shouldn't be here. Who are you? How did you get past security?"**

**"Perhaps I need to rephrase." Her eyes began to glow an ominous shade of green and vines tore the tile up from the floor as the pushed their way through the foundations. Ivy wrapped around his ankles and then pulled, sending him to his knees. "You're going to lead me to the plans concerning Project 14790."**

**"I doubt that very highly." She turned to see a blue man that she recognized from the computer containing profiles. Muscular frame, but a very intelligent face, and wild, unruly hair. It was Beast. The receptor in her ear buzzed as she heard Pietro hiss into it. **

**_"Wisteria! Wisteria…we've got company. The Xmen are here."_**

**"Way to warn me ahead of time, Pietro." She replied calmly, before focusing her attention on Beast. The scientist was attempting to crawl off. She roped him down with ivy. **

**"Hello, Dr. McCoy. Can I help you?"**

**"I would be very grateful if you let that man go." **

**"When he gives me the plans, I will."**

**"No, you're going to let him go now." Another voice sounded from the corner of the room, and she looked over to see a man with a visor, holding his hand up to the visor threateningly. "Or I'll shoot."**

**"Don't make this such a Western movie, Cyclops." She smirked in their direction, took a step toward where the vines had pushed through, felt her feet touch dirt, and allowed herself to travel through. Astonished gasps were the last things she heard before reemerging in the room that led deeper into the labs. If she were to find what she were looking for, she would have to look fast. She ran over to a computer and typed an advanced hacking code quickly, inserting a disk and watching as the computer started to copy files onto the blank. Hopefully the right one would be on that super computer.**

**Footsteps sounded hurriedly and she heard Scott Summers yell for them to hurry. "She's in here!" She tensed herself, building energy, then caused a wall of thick wood to spring up in front of the door they were attempting to enter. Turning back toward the computer, she was surprised to find a man with extended claws waiting for her. He swung his arm out toward the computer and stopped just before hitting the screen.**

**"I'd rather destroy this thing than let you have what's on it."

* * *

**

**­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­**Logan walked down the hallway toward the medical containment room where Wisteria was confined. They weren't holding the kid hostage. Xavier was just afraid if left free to roam, an accident might occur. Like before…

He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. The kid didn't remember, but she had come to consciousness once during her…instability. She didn't recognize anyone. Her eyes burned with fear and rage and she yelled at them not to come near her. Then she fell to the floor and twitched with pain. At first, they couldn't see why. Then they saw the thorns wrapped around her wrists and throat. They had thought it was just the pattern on her skin…

The only reason they got the thorn s off of her was because she went comatose again. The Professor said she had laced those thorns with poison. Without even realizing it.

They almost lost her.

Logan had taken an almost instant liking to the kid when they had first met. Maybe it was because they both knew, without having to say a word, what had happened to each other. Both understood the rage and pain, without having to hear the stories.

Still, all Logan knew was that she had been hurt by similar lunatics, the same breed that had experimented on him. He wished he knew exactly how to help her.

If she didn't let some of this go, it would destroy her. But the pain would never go away completely.

Logan unlocked the room, balancing some food for Wisteria in one hand. He panicked for a moment when he saw she wasn't on the bed, but a sound beside the door drew his attention to the girl.

Wisteria had curled up tightly on the floor, head on her knees and sobbing quietly.

Logan set the goods down and closed the door gently. He sank down next to her and put a hand on her shoulder.

Wisteria jumped and grabbed his wrist, looking at him in fear and shock before relaxing her grip.

"L…Logan?" She whispered after a moment, relief washing over her face. At least she knew who he was right now. Wisteria's hold his wrist became more of a hold for help now. "Can you see them?"

He sighed. "No."

"Oh." Wisteria let go of his wrist and stared out into the rest of the room. She had stopped crying and the look of steel had resumed its place.

"Kid, what happened to –"

"I'm tired, Logan. Will you stay here, to make sure nothing happens?"

"Okay."

"Do you mind if I sleep for a while?"

"No. I don't mind." He watched her lay down on the space of floor next to him and curl up, her thin frame shivering from time to time. He waited for her breathing to settle, and then went to get a blanket to put over her, and a pillow to slip under her head. He knew it wasn't cold she was shivering from, but he wanted to help as much as possible.


End file.
